The Problems with Raising Aya
by Eva McGregor
Summary: Weiss has been turned into children by a Kritiker experament, Aya manages to escape and Schuldich find him. Esset decide to experament themselves and appiont Schwartz to raise Aya as a normal child. It becomes more of a problem then they think. Yaoi- SC,
1. Part One Chapter One Oh Why Not!

The Problems with Raising Aya 

Eva McGregor

Weiss Kreuz AU

Rated: R; for Violence and Non-graphic sex

Aya-Ran, Schwartz 

Pairing: Crawford/Schuldich, Aya/Ken- Yaoi, Shounen Ai

Summery: During a lull in assignments Schuldich finds Aya on the street. A very scared, very innocent toddler Aya. Not knowing what else to do the telepath takes the child home with him. Discovering Kritiker has made Weiss all children in order to raise them again into perfect killers, and that Aya was the only one to escape, Esset and Schwartz decide to raise Aya themselves as a normal child. Well as normal as a child with psychic assassins for parents can be. A test that will challenge them all to change what they have come to view as normal themselves.

Disclaimer: I do not own Weiss Kreuz, thought I'm sure my friend wishes she did so the kittens would do 'yummy' things- not that they don't already *sigh*

A/N: going off the subtitled version of the show, which is very badly translated at times, so the personalities might be a bit OOC, and well duh AU.

Aya-Chan is not featured in this fic, sorry, for this AU she never existed and Aya-Ran took the name because that's what Yohji called him on this first day Aya was with Weiss and the name stuck.

Thanks much to my Beta Phox; with out her I wouldn't be doing this, literally.

**Each part is one year**

***

**Part One**

**Chapter One: Oh Why Not!**

Schuldich walked down the street humming a random tune to himself, glad for once to be away from Schwartz, Weiss, and anything else reminding him of his job. He was bored with it all. Killing for pay and sport, and the weightiness of everything. Crawford stick-up-his-ass; Farfarello having to hurt god every damn second of every damn day; Nagi and his computers, for once, and not for the first time, the telepath wished for something less 'kill this, kill that' and more… more… whatever it was that the Kittens had. Surely if they didn't have something other than being assassins they would have gone mad by now.

Turning a corner, lost in his musings, Schuldich nearly tripped over what he had wished for. He barely missed the flash of red just below his vision as he passed a child standing on the sidewalk, if it had not been for the flash of recognition coming from the child's mind and a tiny hand reaching out to grab his coat missed at the man strode past, missed at the man strode past, Schuldich would have kept walking. 

He stopped abruptly, his back to the child, a frown marring his features. 'No it couldn't be,' he thought, shaking his head. Slowly he turned, just to make sure the Weiss Kitten wasn't simply leaning against a wall. All that met his gaze was a two year old watching him, in recognition, fear, and hope. Each emotion was calling out from the child's mind for him to read as if he had opened a book: recognition because he was someone the boy knew, fear because he wasn't sure what Schuldich would do, and hope because he was all alone, desperately needing someone to save him ; even if it was his enemy.

The telepath looked around the deserted street then walked forward until he stood only a foot away from the toddler. Looking down as the child had to lean back to see his face. Leaning back, Aya looked up at him without the defiance and hatred he usually had around Schwartz. He looked relived that Schuldich had not left him and had not killed him. With teary eyes the boy lifted his arms in a silent request to be picked up.

"This is not what I meant," Schuldich said to himself, leaning down he gathered the child into his arms. He shook his head at the child and wiped a small tear from Aya's face with a gentle finger. "I don't suppose you know how and why you ended up this way, hmm?" 

Aya shook his head, staring at Schuldich wide-eyed.

"I didn't think you would," the telepath said with a sigh. "Do you want me to take you back to your friends?" Another shake of the tiny head. "I didn't think so. Are you hungry?"

The toddler contemplated the assassin for a moment then nodded, putting his head on Schuldich's shoulder and clutching the man's jacket with a tiny hand. Schuldich shook his head again and shifted Aya until the child was firmly in his grasp and began walking to a nearby café.

Finding answers to this riddle could wait a while.

***

The waitress seated them and brought over a high chair for the small child to be put in. Schuldich smiled as Aya made a face, plucking at the strap holding him in place; he looked way too adorable. 

Turning to look at the child's menu, Schuldich contemplated how strange it would look if he let the child look over the menu himself, than if Schuldich simply decided to act like a parent taking his child out to lunch. It shouldn't be all that hard.

"Hmm… let's see… fish sticks?" Aya looked up at him making a face, and reached out for the menu for himself. Schuldich held it just out of reach. "Uh-huh, you can't have it until you've decided what you want. I don't want crayon all over the paper where *I* can't read the selection," he said sternly, emphasizing the point that Aya shouldn't be able to read yet.

Aya blew a raspberry at him.

Schuldich snickered. "No fish sticks then," he said looking down at the paper again. "Chicken strips?" he asked. "Humm, everything on here is finger food."

Aya sighed blowing his bangs out of his eyes with a look of exasperation, then nodded. Schuldich held back a laugh and gave the boy the menu with a hand full of crayons then looked at his own menu finally deciding on something he could share if Aya wanted. It was the least he could do; he didn't think he'd want to be stuck in the body of a child either.

The waitress came back and took their orders, a moment later returning with a cup of coffee and a plastic lidded cup of non-caffeine soda for them. Schuldich watched her go then put a straw in the lid and handed it over to Aya, who took a sip and made a face looking at Schuldich accusingly. 

"It's not like I'm going to give you caffeine," Schuldich said with a smirk. "I expect to be able to sleep before next week." Aya stuck out his tongue and sipped at the soda again.  The telepath raised an eyebrow. "Don't you talk?"

Aya looked at him and opened his mouth, babbling at the man. Or quite possibly the child was speaking and Schuldich simply didn't understand a word he was saying. Aya stopped his gibberish once his point was made and started scribbling on the paper. Schuldich sighed reaching out to brush too long blood red hair out of the child's eyes. He watched with interest as Aya took each crayon and colored something at random with no mind for what color should go where. Aya looked up at him with vibrant violet eyes then set down his crayon and held out his arms toward the telepath.

Schuldich got the hint and unbuckled the strap keeping Aya in the highchair and lifted him out setting the child down in his lap and holding him close. Aya curled against Schuldich, clutching to the man's clothing tightly, he was taking this situation harder than the telepath would have thought. Schuldich knew the child was confused and scared by what had happened to him. He was also very tired, confirmed when next Schuldich looked down to find the child asleep in his lap. Sighing, but with no less amusement, he caught the waitresses attention and had their food made to go.

Once outside Schuldich shifted the child to where he was laying against his shoulder, and began to walk the few blocks back to the safe house. 

Crawford met them at the door without a word, blink, or raised eyebrow. The telepath guessed the man had had a vision and left it at that. Behind the American Nagi sat at his computer typing away at a fast pace while Farfarello sat on another chair rocking back and forth. 

"Nagi has already figured out what happened." Crawford informed him shutting the door as Schuldich walked inside and took the bag of food to the kitchen. "So far what he has found is not looking good."

Schuldich nodded. "I didn't think it would be considering," he said motioning to the sleeping child with his free hand. "Is this a solitary case or are the others affected as well?"

"All of them," Nagi said absently, not looking up from his typing. "Kritiker used an experimental drug to make Weiss children so they can train them from a young age. They have to grow up again literally since there is no antidote."

"I would guess that Fujimiya managed to escape before they could apprehend him," Crawford said taking the child from the telepath walked to a large crib that was standing against a far wall, and set Aya in it carefully. "You can imagine how ecstatic Esset was when they found out you had him."

Schuldich frowned; leave it to them to know something like this within minutes of the telepath finding the child and having supplies provided accordingly. "And what do they wish we do with him?"

"What else?" Crawford asked condescendingly. "Weiss will be out of action for at least ten years; Fujimiya Ran is in essence, defeated. Esset wants to make sure he stays that way."

"If they want us to kill him, count me out," Schuldich said flatly.

Crawford shook his head. "They want to experiment as well," he said, smirking in amusement. "They want to know what would happen with a child raised by the likes of us. Raised in a normal way no less."

"Normal way?" Schuldich repeated. "As in, their normal or human normal?"

"Normal, normal," Crawford clarified. "School, toy's, little friends to annoy us." He shrugged, "I don't know which will be harder. I'm interested to find out."

Schuldich snorted. "You're still an ass," he said and walked into the kitchen.

"I might be an ass, but I'm also the ass that keeps this little experiment in insanity stable and well financed. No one else is going to play the stern parent and I'll be damned if I let this child have the childhood I had or anyone of us had just because he had the misfortune of being our enemy and made helpless by his own people!" Crawford pinched his nose. "Yes I'm an ass, I know, great!"

Schuldich snorted. "It's no fun if you admit it," he said, glancing out of the kitchen to make sure Farfarello hadn't moved. He was surprised to find the psychopath had moved to stare down at the sleeping child, his hands firmly clasped behind his back. "You don't think Farfarello will be a danger to him do you?" he asked, concerned nodding toward where the Irishmen stood. "We might be able to deal with him, but Aya is undoubtedly helpless."

"Uh…" Crawford turned and started forward in panic as Farfarello reach out suddenly and picked up the child. Aya opened his eyes, startled out of his sleep and automatically started crying.

Everyone froze.

"Shh..." Farfarello shushed cuddling the boy, rocking him gently as he walked to the couch and sat down making soothing noises as the child continued to cry.

Crawford, Schuldich, and Nagi exchanged looks of surprise as Aya calmed down and started to suck his thumb, laying his head against the psychopath's chest.

"Well they did say experiment," Nagi finally said with a sigh.

***

A streak of red sped past Schuldich's vision, followed closely by a very annoyed teenager giving chase. 

The telepath looked up from his paper as Nagi chased a very naked wet little boy around the living room with a large towel held out in front of him. It was very obvious the teen was trying hard not to simply use his gift to stop the child. It had been decided not to show any of their gifts openly until the boy was a little older. Nagi was the only one that had been truly restricted, for Crawford couldn't help his gift and Schuldich wasn't going to follow any rule he didn't want to.

Two months ago all four of them had sat around the kitchen table while Aya was asleep and planed out any detail they would need in raising a child. Esset had made arrangements for a birth certificate to be made for a deceased woman, and Crawford had been voted to be the 'father'. Nagi was now Aya's older brother by the same mother and Schuldich was the 'Uncle' that got to spoil the child rotten. Farfarello was… well…  Farfarello and they just felt lucky he didn't chase the child around trying to kill him.

Speaking of which… Schuldich hid a laugh as little wet naked ran right into the psychopath with a squeak. Nagi took the opportunity to wrap the child in the towel and let Farfarello take over from there. They all had to admit the Irishman really did well with the child, it was the only time he seemed the least bit sane.

Taking the child to Crawford's room where the cradle and clothes chest was stationed for now, until they moved to the next safe house that was being made just for the housing and raising of a small child. He carefully worked Aya into a pair if pull-up dippers then into clothing he could wear outside.

"Playing in dirt hurts God," Farfarello said matter-of-factly, handing off Aya to Crawford, where he sat at his desk finishing his paper work- an application for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school all in prestigious private schools only the rich of the rich got into and getting in could be murder if one didn't apply years in advance.

"Thank you for that information Farfarello," Crawford said dryly, holding the giggling child in his lap. He signed the last of the applications and stuffed it into the preaddressed envelope, then offered it to Aya to lick, then sealed it and stuffed it into his pocket to be mailed on their way to the park. Crawford stood holding Aya, letting him wiggle and giggle all the way back into the living room where he startled Schuldich by dumping the boy into the telepath's lap. "Do hold that a while, hmm?"

Schuldich shrugged and set down his paper to play with the child while Crawford set about making sure the day bag was prepared and the stroller was properly set up. No one else would do it, though Nagi did try. Crawford sighed as he thought how in another month Aya would be fully regressed and will have forgotten everything of his past life, making him even more of a child than he already was.

//You worry too much// Schuldich said in Crawford's mind calmly. //Be glad he won't remember, and be glad he won't talk for at least another year. // 

[That's not what I'm worried about] Crawford admitted, [it's the breaking him before then]

Schuldich snorted. //You won't break him if you show just a little affection; don't be one of those parents that spawn children simply to have an heir. // A shriek of laughter could be heard in the living room. //We'll teach him to be smart, how to defend himself, and what not; but he will grow thinking you're his father. Do you want him to hate you for it? //

[No.] Crawford said flatly.

//We'll all help, but you can't *just* make sure for the financial well being of a child, you have to be the emotional support as well. //

[When did you learn how to take care of a child?]

There was a long pause followed by a mental sigh. //It was how I wish my own father had been. I'd hate to see such a gift wasted because you have no idea what you're doing. //

[I don't have any idea what I'm doing! That's the point!] Crawford said in exasperation. [Why was I voted to play father again?]

[Because you're the best for the job] Nagi threw in as he walked into the kitchen wearing jeans and a tee. The teenager stopped and stared at what Crawford was wearing. "Gee Brad don't you own anything that doesn't scream 'corporate raider'?"

Crawford looked down at himself. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Nagi rolled his eyes. "We're going to a park, not to a business meeting," he said tucking the tee shirt into his jeans. "And while were out, Aya needs a hair cut, his bangs keep getting in his face and he runs into Farfarello."

Crawford sighed and walked back to his bedroom slamming the door shut behind him.

***

"So how dose this work?" Crawford asked Schuldich quietly as they walked into the barbershop that advertised a special on haircuts for children.

"We wait our turn then you tell the barber you want the hair around his face trimmed so it doesn't get into his eyes as much," Schuldich answered. "If he doesn't get it right we can always kill him later."

Crawford glared at the telepath then took Aya out of the stroller and carried him to the main counter where a woman in her late thirties stood. 

"May I help you?" the woman asked with the air of someone entirely too bored to be bothered.

"Yes," Crawford said as pleasantly as possible. "I'd like to have my son's hair cut."

//Good you didn't even flinch.// Schuldich said with a snicker.

[Shut-up] Crawford shot back.

The woman tapped a clipboard. "Sign his name here, sir," she said and went back to her magazine.

Crawford nodded taking the provided pen and started writing Aya's name.

//Crawford, Aya. // Schuldich reminded him helpfully.

The Seer obediently wrote the name down then went to sit next to the Germen in the waiting room where other small children where playing. He was reluctant to set Aya down where he could play, one of the older children looked like a bully in the making. Carefully he sat Aya down at his feet where a toy airplane lay. Immediately it was picked up by the two year old who started making noises that resembled a real plane.

Two minutes later the older child Crawford was eyeing crawled over the toys to where Aya was playing and yanked the airplane out of the younger child's hands. Aya stared at the other boy in shock then, with a deep breath, started wailing at the top of his little lungs. Crawford picked him up and held the child close sparing a glare at the other child then sat back and rocked Aya gently, knowing the boy was more scared by what had happened than sad because the toy was taken away.

A younger woman walked over to them snatching the older boy off the ground and chided him with a good swat to the rear. She bowed to Crawford with her apologies and took her child back to the other side of the waiting room, the toy forgotten. Aya calmed and began to suck his thumb drowsily, his body leaning against Crawford's.

By the time the whole escapade was over Aya's hair was slightly shorter and all of them wanted a nap. Nagi had gone back to the safe house earlier to check on Farfarello and finish his homework, while Schuldich had gotten board and soon followed Nagi home, intent on smoking at least one pack of cigarettes, leaving Crawford to deal with a toddler who had gone from hyper to asleep. Crawford wished it was the other way around. Aya was fast asleep in the stroller, his thumb a permanent fixture in his mouth, curled onto his side, the hood over the stroller giving him ample shade, allowing him to sleep undisturbed.

Crawford contemplated going to the park anyway, laying a blanket under a tree and reading for a few hours sounded good right about now. Yes, that would do nicely, and by the time Aya woke from his nap Crawford would be relaxed and willing to play with the child, like a good parent. And he was going to be a good parent!

'Yeah keep telling yourself that,' his internal voice said mockingly. 'See how all that parenting comes in handy when the kid grows up and finds out the truth.'

Crawford sighed, that voice was deceptively right.

//And when have you ever turned down a challenge? // another voice argued. It sounded a lot like Schuldich. //By the time he's grown up he'll understand, as long as you're that good parent//

[Schuldich stay out of my head!] Crawford demanded as he crossed the street heading for the park.

//We'll it's true you know// Schuldich replied. //He won't hate you as long as you love him. //

[And what about you?] Brad shot back, as he found a nice shady tree to spread the blanket out under.

There was a mental sigh. //I already love him like a little brother// the telepath admitted. //I've been in his mind remember? All he's ever wanted was a family that loved him, but deep inside he knew he could never have that. It's why he was so cold. I think before he fully regressed he discovered he could have that with us; I don't want to be the one to prove him wrong. //

Crawford looked down at the sleeping toddler, then lifted Aya out of the stroller to cuddle him, gently, as he settled down on the blanket and opened his book. In his sleep Aya grunted softly and clutched his tiny hands to Brad's white casual button up shirt and curled up, fittingly against the man he would someday call father.

Brad stared at Aya with a small smile, his walls that made up his stoic demeanor crumbling at the sight. Aya wasn't even fully regressed yet and already trusted Schwartz with his life like he had no other. He trusted Brad to be his father, Nagi to be his big brother, Schuldich to be the over protective Uncle, and Farfarello not to hurt him; all before he regressed and lost the few memories of the life he still had.

Schuldich was right; there was no way Brad was going to prove Aya wrong. The boy would never regret a day he spent with the lot of them, and he would never want for anything.

Even when that dreaded day came and a much older Aya learned the truth.

Aya shifted so his head was buried against Brad's chest as if saying 'everything will be ok.' His breathing was an even rhythm that Crawford listened too soothingly. He would have to remember to get a rocking chair. Aya seemed to like to cuddle when he slept and Brad had the urge to rock every time he held the sleeping child. Although he was weary of what Farfarello would do with a rocking chair; breaking it because it 'hurt God' came to mind.

Brad smiled at the thought, turning the page in his book. That would be an interesting sight, Farfarello rocking Aya in the ruin of the rocking chair, doing his best to pretend the contraption still had legs and rocked back and forth. In the back of his mind Brad could hear Schuldich snicker at the projected thought, and he was sure the telepath was making arrangements for a rocking chair to be delivered later that afternoon just to see what would happen.

***

Twenty minutes later, and just when Crawford was getting to the good part of his book, Aya's eyes popped open. The child smiled up at him, showing all of his baby teeth, then decided Brad's shirt was interesting, and began kneading the cloth with tiny fingers.

Blindly Brad reached into Aya's day bag and took out a bag of Animal Cookies and handed them to the toddler. 'There that should keep him still for a while longer….hey! Where are you going?'

Brad looked up as Aya crawled out of his lap, stood and started to toddle away only to be stopped by the tether strapped to his overalls and attached to Brad's belt. The child cried out in outrage and pouted, reaching out a hand at something on the ground. Curiosity got the better of him; Brad set his book aside and scooted foreword enough for Aya to pick up what ever it was that he wanted. Smiling happily, Aya walked back to Brad and crawled into his lap again holding something out in his hand.

Crawford looked down at the Preying Mantis standing precariously in the child's hand. He looked at Aya and then back to the bug. It was an ugly bug, with strange habits, and the cultural liking of a cricket; he never understood that tradition either.

"That's a Preying Mantis," he told Aya. "It's a bug, put it down."

Aya pouted, protesting with his baby talk, reaching out with the hand holding the bag of cookies to poke the creature gently. Getting the desired reaction Aya squealed in delight and poked the Preying Mantis again. Brad shook his head with a smile and took the bug away from the toddler gently.

"Why don't we let it go where it can have lots of food?" He suggested, while he stood up with Aya in his arms and walked to a near-by bush. He set the toddler on his feet, then at Aya's eyelevel coaxed the Preying Mantis into a leaf on the bush, and let the child watch as the bug walked up the leaf and out of sight. Into the bush.

Aya clapped, turned, and jumped into Brad's arms.

"Ready to go home?" Brad asked lightly, giving Aya a hug. 

Aya nodded cheerfully.

**End Chapter One**

Next: Part One Chapter Two: Christmas! 

 Crawford is having problems dealing with both Nagi and Aya leading to Aya nearly getting hurt. Then Nagi gets the surprise of his life!


	2. Part One Chapter Two Christmas

**Part One, Chapter Two: Christmas**

Thanks lots to Phox for beta'ing this for me

"Oh, what an adorable child!" a woman screeched in Aya's face, leaning down to get a good look at the red-headed child. Aya shrank back from the blob as it moved closer to him scrunching up his face; if the blob got any closer he was going to scream.

"Thank you ma'am." Schuldich said quickly, mentally suggesting that the woman be on her way.

"That's going to get annoying." Nagi said dumping cans of green beans in the shopping cart Crawford steered.

Schuldich looked upside-down at the Aya sitting in his stroller, Aya stared back a scowl on his face. "I think the little Kitten's already annoyed."

"I would be too if strangers came up to me and stuck their faces in mine." Nagi said reading over the list, "Why does Farfie want candy canes?"

"He said if he decorated the tree with them Aya would stay away from the presents." Brad said absently.

The teenager opened his mouth then closed it with a shake of his head. "I don't even want to know why he thinks that."

Schuldich plucked a box of candy canes off the shelf, took one of the candies out of the packaging, un-wrapped it, and handed it to Aya. Crawford glared at him. "I know, and _I don't want to know."_

Crawford glared at Schuldich. "Just for that he's sleeping with you tonight." He said, knowing Aya would be awake all night from the sugar.

"Aww….I'd rather sleep with you Crawfie!" Schuldich cooed, batting his eyelashes at the pre-cog.

Brad turned as red as Aya's hair.

"Ha! Now I know where the little tike gets his red hair from!" Schuldich said with a laugh.

Brad narrowed his eyes. "She was your sister!" he countered quickly.

"Then why is Nagi's hair not as red?" Schuldich pointed out.

Point, set, match.

Crawford looked at Nagi, then Schuldich and back again. Aya did the same until his nose started to tickle.

"Achoo!" the toddler sneezed.

Two adults and one teenager looked at him.

Aya sneezed again and batted at the air, he like the smell around him. Schuldich reached into the stroller and put a hand on Aya's forehead to check for a fever. Aya pushed the hand away with a whine of protest. He was not sick! Didn't they smell the smell he didn't like?

Sensing from the child his reason for sneezing, Schuldich frowned and looked around the stroller. On one of the shelves, at Aya's head level, was a spilt jar of garlic power; its odor strongest where a child's sensitive nose could smell it.

Schuldich simply pushed the stroller further down the aisle. Aya sniffed loudly making sure the smell wasn't still there and stuck his candy back in his mouth.

Brad watched with narrow eyes. "Nagi, get a bottle of child's cough syrup just in case."

"Ok." Nagi agreed, handing Brad the shopping list, going in search of medicine aisle. 

//Think he's going to get sick when we least expect it? // Schuldich asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"He'd do it just to spite me." Crawford said aloud.

Aya blew a sticky raspberry at him.

Schuldich looked between the two, something wasn't right here. //You're suppose to love him, not think he's out to get you, you know// the telepath commented.

[He's a little brat, that's what he is!] Brad answered sourly ignoring the child as Aya held out his arms to be picked up.

//What happened? // Schuldich demanded.

[I can't do this.] Crawford shot back angrily.

Schuldich snorted. //Bull! You can do anything you put your mind to I've seen it! Don't tell me that one child is beyond your skill. //

Aya held out his arms, using baby-talk to tell them he wanted to be picked up. Schuldich leaned down to lift the child out of the stroller. Aya yelled his protest making it clear Schuldich was not the one he wanted to hold him.

Schuldich looked at Brad with a raised eyebrow. "Well? Aren't you going to pick up your child?"

Brad gripped the handle on the cart tightly his head turned so he wouldn't have to look at Aya. Seeing this Aya began to cry, making sounds that could have been 'daddy' in English.

Both men stared at each other in challenge.

Nagi returned with several boxes in his arms, he raised an eyebrow at the two adults, dumped the medicine in the cart, and lifted Aya out of the stroller.

"Honestly, could you to have the pissing contest later?" Nagi asked one arm under the child's bottom to keep him supported on his him while the free hand rubbed circled on Aya's back. "And Brad, really, all parents go though the 'I cants', they can't give back their children and neither can you1" with that he walked away, Aya's cries following him.

"He's right you know." Schuldich said folding the stroller and slid it under the cart. "You can't give the _Kätchen¹ back; and I don't think you want to."_

"What do you care?" Brad shouted angrily.

Schuldich sighed, turned, and walked out of the aisle. //I'm not the one that should be asked that question,_ liebe². //_

Crawford watched the telepath's retreating back in shock. [What's that suppose to mean?]

//If you don't know, I won't tell you. // Schuldich answered.

***

"Here are your candy canes, Farfie." Nagi said, handing the box to the Irishmen as he took it out of the grocery bag. "I don't know how well your plan will work; Aya's already had two."

Farfarello frowned at the teenager. "That's the point."

Nagi sighed; he still didn't want to know.

"Where's Aya?" Farfarello asked as he watched Schuldich and Crawford walk into the apartment arguing. The two dumped the food in the counter and continued down the hall. One bedroom door slammed and the shouting got louder.

Nagi stared at Farfarello blankly for a moment, and then ran out the door, down the stairs, and into the parking garage.

Aya was still strapped in his car seat in the jeep wailing loudly; it was a wonder that Crawford and Schuldich hadn't heard the child over their shouting. Nagi ran to the jeep door, yanking it open hard enough to dislocate his shoulder.

"It's ok Aya-chan," the teen said soothingly climbing into the back seat with the child and un-strapped him from the car seat. "I've got you, you're safe now."

"Nayi!" Aya cried crawling into Nagi's arms. Nagi spent a moment cradling Aya in his arms then carefully slid out of the jeep and stormed upstairs.

Schuldich and Crawford were still shouting when he returned; Nagi's anger rose as he stomped to Crawford's bedroom and used telekinesis to force open the door. The hard wood door crashed against the opposite wall with a loud 'bang', both men jumped.

"Are you outta your minds?!" Nagi shouted before either adult could say anything. "Tomorrow is Christmas! A time of celebration and opening presents with the people you love; not pissing and moaning about how much you are both stupid cowards!" he glared at Schuldich and Crawford daring them to say something; wisely they stayed silent.

"And to make matters worse you left Aya in the jeep! Alone! In the dark! In the cold! He's a child! A. TWO. YEAR. OLD. CHILD! Are you two so incompetent that you can't get that thought your thick sculls? He could have died!" Nagi took a deep breath; deep down he was very thankful they hadn't gotten over their shock yet. "If you two don't get over what ever your problems are; IF something like this EVER happens again; I will personally demand a transfer out of Japan and take Aya with me! Do I make myself clear?!"

Schuldich and Crawford dumbly nodded.

Nagi huffed. "Good." He said calmly, went over to Aya's clothes chest and took out pajamas and a dipper. "By the way, Aya said his first word; it was Nagi. Or at least as close as he's going to get at this age. Now if you'll excuse me I'll be in my room, where Aya will be until you two solve your differences." With that he turned, walked to his room and shut the door quietly behind him.

***

Nagi woke the next morning to find Crawford sitting on the edge of his bed watching Aya and him sleep. The teen sat up carefully, making sure to keep the blankets on the toddler.

"I'm sorry about last night." Brad said quietly. "I've had a lot on my mind about something and then Aya came and complicated everything. It's not his fault and I shouldn't have taken it out on him; but…well…I panicked, and well…here…."

Nagi took the envelope thrust into his hands and opened it carefully. Inside were three documents, one in English, one in Germen, and one in Japanese. The teen looked up at the older man. "What are there?"

"Adoption papers." Brad answered bluntly. "For here, America, and Germany."

Nagi was still confused. "Are these Aya's?"

The pre-cog shook his head a hint of a smile on his lips. "Aya has two sets, birth certificates for me, and adoption records for Schuldich and Farfarello. Under aliases of course."

"I don't get it." Nagi said after a long silence. "What does that have to do with me?"

Crawford rolled his eyes. "Because they're yours." he said. "All three state that Schuldich and I have adopted you." 

Nagi blinked, looking over the documents carefully. "But…how….why?"

"Esset arranged it." Brad answered. "They've been doing so for a long time. As to why, you are still a minor, and in need of more then just…co-workers."

The teen's eyes widened. "You weren't arguing about Aya with Schuldich last night," he stated. "You where arguing about me."

Crawford nodded. "I felt Schuldich should have adopted you by himself; in fact I wanted him to take Aya as well. I am not the kind of person that should be held responsible for one child's well being, let alone two."

"I'm not a child!" Nagi protested automatically.

Crawford raised an eyebrow. "Its Christmas morning." He said and smiled as Nagi started forward but caught himself and settled again. Brad smirked. "You still have a child's reflexes. Go on, and take Aya with you, I'm sure he won't mind being woken."

Nagi glared, slipped out of his bed and took a throw blanket off his desk chair. He wrapped Aya in it carefully and lifted the sleeping child into his arms. "If you don't want him, I'll take him." He said seriously then walked out of his room, into the living room.

"Ah! Nagi, good you're awake!" Schuldich said with a grin from the couch. "Come open your presents!"

Nagi nodded and sat on the floor in front of the Christmas tree. He gently laid Aya on the soft carpet and reached for the gift he got the little boy, silently un-wrapping it he tucked the teddy bear in the blanket with Aya and then he watched the child for a moment.

"Open mine! Open mine!" Farfarello chanted holding out a small package.

Nagi took the gift, un-wrapping it with care, and held up….Farfarello's favorite knife; the retractable sword. Wait! It wasn't the same; this one's handle was silver not gold with some weird writing on it.

//It's Gaelic.// Schuldich supplied. //it means, Kinetic//

"Thank you Farfie." Nagi said setting the weapon aside, and then looked around for something with his name on it. He was _not going to be a child and search for presents; he'd let Aya do that._

Schuldich snickered. "Crawfie rub you the wrong way?" he asked tapping a small wrapped box with his toe. "Don't worry so much about being treated like a child or not. Not here anyway; out there you can be as adult as you want."

Nagi shook his head with a small smile. "It's alright Schuschu; I'm fine."

Schuldich didn't look like he believed him. He patted the empty part of the couch waiting for Nagi to curl up beside him. "I may not be an Empath, per say, but I do know when everything isn't right." The telepath said wrapping an arm around Nagi's waist, holding him close. He nodded to Farfarello who was building a present fort around Aya as the child slept. "Look at Farfarello for example. He looks at Aya and sees something he wants to protect and hide at all costs; he doesn't see Fujimiya, Ran, he sees Aya Crawford. As long as Aya is safe everything is right in his world."

Nagi watched as the psychopath closed off the fort very cleverly and left a small hole for air and light. Farfarello lay on the floor and stared into the hole; he looked almost peaceful.

Schuldich nodded. "Now Crawford on the other hand views children as that unknown factor he can't control and can't foresee. Little children are unpredictable; Brad hates that, he fears and hates Aya. He doesn't know what Aya will do from one moment to the next so both hates the child and fears for his safety." He tapped Nagi's chest. "The same goes for you. Its not that he doesn't care; he's just too proud and arrogant to show it."

"Why did you two fight?" Nagi asked resting his head on Schuldich's shoulder.

"He needed to see things my way," Schuldich answered. "He still does, he just doesn't know it yet."

"You love him don't you?" the teen asked with a teasing smile.

"Maybe." Schuldich said.

"Lair." Farfarello sang. "Schuschu loves Crawfie, Schuschu loves Crawfie!"

"Oh- I Neigung erklären Ihnen allem²!" Schuldich growled and threw a ball of wrapping paper at the Irishmen.

"It's ok if you do, Schuldich." Nagi said.

Schuldich sighed and reached down to pick up the gift he ad tried to get Nagi to open sooner. "Open this; it's from Crawford and me."

Nagi took the box giving Schuldich a weary look. Carefully he took off the lid and peered inside, and lifted out what looked like a mini flashlight key chain. Nagi raised an eyebrow; he wasn't even allowed to go anywhere alone where he would need something like this, not at night.

"It's a panic button." Schuldich said in answer to his silent question. "Crawford predicts you will need it."

"Oh," Nagi said, there wasn't much else to say.

"Just keep it with you always." Schuldich said seriously.

"Auht!" Aya said his high baby soprano voice muffled by the boxes staked around him. A tiny hand appeared from the hole Farfarello left, waving around as if searching for something. Farfarello poked the hand with his finger, the hand instantly retracted into the present fort. When the hand didn't come back Farfarello took the top off the fort.

Aya lay curled up in the small space, his thumb in his mouth the same arm wrapped around the teddy bear his other hand kneading the fur. Farfarello lifted the toddler out of the fort and sat the child in his lap. "Say Farfarello!"

Aya stared at the Irishmen blankly and continued to suck his thumb. Farfarello shook his head and tickled the child instead making Aya giggle.

***

The rest of the morning was spent opening presents and watching Aya play with the wrapping paper more than he did the toys that had wrapped them. Even Brad eventually joined the festivities, though what was troubling him had still not been resolved.

When it was over Nagi went to his room and stretched out in his bed to stare at the ceiling while Aya played on the floor.

Nothing had been resolved with how Brad treated Aya. By mid-morning he and Schuldich had started arguing again, though they wisely kept it to glaring at each other and telepathy. They might as well have been shouting for all the good it did. The moment the silent argument started Aya- who had been trying to get Crawford to hold him- backed away from the two and crawled into Farfarello's lap whimpering in fear.

It took Nagi three seconds to get fed up with the both of them, take Aya from Farfarello, and left the room, the toys and gifts he and the child had received floating behind him. Thought he wasn't supposed to use his powers. Aya had been left on the floor with his new toys surrounding him, Nagi had put everything but the blade and the panic button in there proper placed. The panic button didn't do well as a key chain, if Schuldich wanted him to keep it on him at all times, so he took it off the loop and found a chain and put it around his neck. The knife he kept in his hands fiddling with it, absently making the blade contract and retract every once in a while as he contemplated what to do if Brad didn't decided to keep Aya soon.

He could have all of Aya and his things packed in a very short time. He could run away and take Aya with him, no one could stop him and no one could hurt him. He'd miss Schuldich and Farfarello, but Aya was more important, Nagi didn't want to see Aya grow up where no one wanted him. He didn't want Aya to become him.

"Nagi." Farfarello said from the door way. Nagi sat up to look at the psychopath, Farfarello had a grin on his face. "Come look."

"At what?" Nagi asked sliding out of his bed and followed the Irishmen out of his room and to the entrance to the living room.

On the couch where Schuldich and Crawford, the telepath lay on the couch the older man on top of him. They were kissing, both trying to undress each other by friction alone every once in a while a word of insult was thrown at the other.

Nagi rolled his eyes; they couldn't even stop arguing while making out. They were made for each other.

Farfarello pulled the teen down the hall back to his bed room and stretched out on the bed with him. "Everything is right now." He said, wrapping a leg around Nagi's slim waist to keep him in place. "All is as it should be."

"Maybe." Nagi said with a sigh, only time would tell that one. "Merry Christmas Farfie."

"Merry Christmas."

***

***

¹Kätchen, for those who don't know means- Kitten

²Oh- I Neigung erklären Ihnen allem –means- I can't tell you anything

Phox- n=boxes means typo! Anything else you wanna know?

Ok for the reviewers (thought I forgot you didn't you?):

Leanie- I can't wait either!

Gonyos- my brother didn't, until I told him the reasoning behind most of what he thought was pointless, and then he's all 'ohhhh! Never mind then! Forget what I said!" it wasn't hard I knew what I was talking about. As do you! Err got off track… thanks!

Kat-jen-insane- Brad doesn't "care" for Aya *winks* he's currently playing a moron. Yes Aya will grow up thinking Brad is his Dad and he isn't going to know about Kritiker, least in theory.

Yukina10, L-sama's Shadow Puppet (love that name) Female Heero Yuy- its coming its coming! Its here! *pants* that was a long run.

Gamegirl28- what's a pocky?

Syberian X- that's soo nice! I thought I would get them all a manner of OOC cause when I watched the DVD Schwartz didn't act half as what they were portrayed as in Fanfiction. I hope it isn't too descriptive, I was trying to go for the whole 'I hate to read really long paragraphs so why should everyone else like too?' do you really want Schuldich to say that?...I'm going to email you….

Hele- I'm gonna save your answer for next chappy at the beginning, if you read this, you'll understand why next chappy.

Did I miss anyone?

Review some more!!

Ja!


	3. Part One Chapter Three Yohji

Ok I promised I'd respond to a review from first chappy this chappy: Hele- baby's start talking at all kinds of ages, but your right, Yohji asked that question too. Thanks to my Reviewers Phox and Syberian X (you do remember you still have to review right X?) **Part One, Chapter Three- Yohji**

Nagi sneezed, waking up enough to rub his nose then settled back to sleep again. Or tried to. He couldn't shake this feeling that someone was watching him in the dark. He knew it couldn't be Aya, for Farfarello was still awake playing with the child in the living room. Everyone else was asleep.

He froze at the sound of something shifting at the foot of his bed. That definitely was not Schuldich trying to play a trick on him. Bracing himself, he mentally turned on the light switch and rolled off the bed.

"Don't you dare scream!" the man hissed moving to corner Nagi in the small space between the bed and the wall. "Not even a mental call."

Nagi nodded, sliding up the wall to stand.

The man nodded. "Good." He said calmly. "Where's Aya?"

Nagi shook his head. He wasn't about to tell a stranger anything, especially not about Aya.

The man's eyes narrowed. "I know you have him! Where is he?"

Nagi dutifully kept his mouth shut, looking at nothing but the man lest he give something away.

"Fine, have it your way." The man said and pulled out a knife, and stalked closer.

Nagi's eyes widened both at the knife and at the better view of the man's face he had now the man was closer. He had seen those eyes before, and that hair, and that face. Though it couldn't be since all of the Weiss boys were now no older than three.

He couldn't help himself; he screamed.

Instantly the man had him in his arms turning him to face the door, the knife pressed hard against his throat. "I told you not to scream!" he yelled wrapping an arm around Nagi's waist and lifted him off the ground.

Schuldich and Brad burst into the room a second later and stopped. Brad had a gun in his hand; Schuldich was glaring daggers at the man holding Nagi captive.

"Let him go." Brad ordered, cocking the gun.

Nagi could feel the man grin. "Let's make an exchange. Aya, for your brat."

"Let him go." Brad repeated.

Schuldich's eyes narrowed. He put his hand on Brad's and slowly lowered the gun. Brad looked at him in surprise. "Balinese, so nice to see you again."

"Mastermind." Yohji acknowledged. "Where is Aya?"

"Safe." Schuldich answered taking a step forward. "Let Nagi go and I'll take you to him."

"Are you insane?" Brad hissed at the telepath.

"I know what I'm doing." Schuldich answered.

Yohji snorted. "Give me Aya and I'll let him go." He said stubbornly.

Schuldich rolled his eyes. A moment later Farfarello appeared, Aya held protectively in his arms. The child looked at the man holding Nagi hostage and tried to hide in Farfarello's chest whimpering slightly.

"What did you do to him?" Yohji demanded.

"What do you mean?" Nagi asked in a choked voice. "He's scared you're going to hurt me."

The assassin released the teen; Nagi fell to the floor then scrambled to his feet and hid behind Brad.

"Farfie, why don't you put Aya and Nagi to bed in my room?" Schuldich said quietly, Farfarello nodded and led Nagi down the hall. "Now, come Yohji, I think there are a lot of questions to be answered on both our parts."

Yohji nodded dumbly and followed the two elder Schwartz to the living room and took the seat offered to him. "What happened?" the blond asked obviously tired. "Ken and Omi are the same way, what happened to them?"

"Kritiker used them for an experiment." Schuldich answered. "Aya managed to escape from what we can tell. Though we thought all of you where changed."

Yohji shook his head. "I had to go to America for a mission, when I returned, no one was there, and then these people tried to kill me."

Brad and Schuldich exchanged looks. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Yohji nodded. 

***

Yohji walked into the flower shop to find it empty, literally empty. No leaf was on the floor, no shelves packed with flowers. The room looked like there had never been a flower shop at all. It was very strange.

Checking every room he found them much the same, empty. The mission room was bare, the bed rooms nothing but four walls and a bit of dust. Even his room had been cleaned out, though most of it was his doing; the things he knew he would need to keep in storage he had used a fake name not even Kritiker knew. 

Why had everyone else left?

Running into the last room of the apartment he found his only clue as to what had happened. Aya's room had a secret crawl space that had not been in the original blue prints for the apartment. Its previous owner had used it to slip in and out of his residence to see his mistress. Yohji had found it before Aya had moved in and had shown it to the red-head secretly. No one else knew about it.

Opening the trap door carefully he flipped on it's inside light and looked around. Aya's things where still there. The young man's extra katana, spare clothes, a few books, and a journal. Yohji quickly stuffed it all in his duffle bag and headed out again. 

He called Manx to find out what had happened. She had told him they had been moved to a new location and gave Yohji the address. There he found nothing but an old warehouse, where a sweeper team ambushed him and tried to stick him with a needle. He had escaped and gone into hiding.

For two months he searched for the others, and finally found them in a safe house. It took him three days before he realized what he was seeing was Ken and Omi; Ken was a barely walking one year old and Omi was still too young to walk. For two more months he watched the safe house and no matter what happened he never saw Aya as adult or child. So he assumed what ever had happened to his friends Aya had managed to get away.

Then he started looking for Aya using the young man's journal as a guide. Another four months later he had gotten a lucky break when he was running out of places to look and stopped in a park for a smoke. There he had spotted Nagi walking along the sidewalk across the street, a little boy with blood red hair clutching his hand. Yohji had instantly known he was seeing Aya and had followed the teen all the way back to Schwartz' safe house.

He had been surprised when he confirmed Aya was indeed living with the enemy and had decided to rescue the child and flee the country before Kritiker could find them. 

Nothing had gone according to plan.

***

"…and you know the rest." Yohji finished settling back in his chair tiredly. "So tell me, why do you have Aya?"

Schuldich and Crawford exchanged looks. "I found him on the street and Esset decided we would raise him as a normal child." The telepath answered shortly. "Until now we thought that all of you had been turned into children by an experimental drug. We had assumed, though, that you where all the same age."

Yohji shook his head. "No I can tell that all three are different ages."

Brad nodded. "Well now that we know at least one of you is the right age, you can take Aya and raise him yourself."

"Crawford!" Schuldich shouted turning to glare at the older man. "Shut-up!"

"I agree with him." Yohji said. "I'll just take Aya and be on my way."

Schuldich snorted. "Good luck getting him past Farfarello. He's quite attached to the little chibi." He said with a smirk. "And Nagi would insist on coming with you."

Yohji looked between the two with a raised eyebrow. "What's going on here?"

Crawford slapped a hand over Schuldich's mouth, the telepath rolled his eyes. //Like that's going to stop me. // he said sarcastically, then to Yohji. //Crawfie here and I have a difference of opinion on how to deal with a child. In other words, he doesn't want Aya and I do. //

The last adult Weiss kitten's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Schuldich snickered. //He's a cute little Kätchen, I always wanted one. //

Both Crawford and Yohji snorted.

Schuldich shrugged removing Crawford's hand from his mouth. "Well I always wanted a child." He allowed. "He makes Nagi happy, and keeps Farfie sane. All I need is for Brad to get over his father phobia and I'll have my family." He glared at Brad. "Of course, it's still early enough to change the records so Nagi can have him."

Crawford scowled. "I am not going to allow Nagi to play father." He said, "And you can't have him either."

"Then give him to me!" Yohji exclaimed. "I'll be on the next plane outta here."

Schuldich shook his head. "Too late, Aya's already imprinted on us, he thinks we are his family. Hell, the only thing he says in any language is Nagi."

Yohji blinked. "Why? I mean, shouldn't he be saying more?"

Schuldich shrugged. "Who knows, maybe he was premature; maybe he was a quiet child. What I do know is…" he shut down Yohji's body, putting him to sleep, the young man slumped against the chair his breathing shallow and even. "You need to stop thinking about taking Aya when we are all asleep." 

"So what should we do with him?" Crawford asked lazily.

"Let him sleep." Schuldich said standing. He slowly stretched and gave his lover an air kiss. "I'll meet you in bed; I just want to check on the others."

"Sleep in your own bed." Brad growled.

Schuldich smirked. "It's already occupied; and I get so cold and lonely with out you, Braddy-bear."

Crawford threw a couch pillow at him. Schuldich caught the pillow with a laugh and suggestively sashayed down the hall.

Farfarello was standing guard outside Schuldich's bedroom absently playing with one of his daggers. He watched the telepath accusingly as the man came closer, a low growl rumbling deep in his throat. Schuldich patted the Irishmen on the shoulder as he passed him.

Nagi lay on his bed with Aya curled up in his arms. The child was asleep, the teen was not. Nagi stared at the far wall, running his fingers through Aya's blood red hair. He didn't look at Schuldich as the adult sat on the edge of the bed careful not to wake the child.

"He's not going to take Aya away." Schuldich said and reached out to brush Nagi's hair out of his eyes.

"I was so stupid leading him here." Nagi said tiredly. "If he can find Aya who's to say Kritiker won't?"

"Who's to say they don't already know where he is?" Schuldich countered. "I'm sure they have spent as much time searching for him as Balinese."

Nagi finally looked at him. "I found something interesting about Weiss I didn't tell you." He said quietly.

"What was that?" Schuldich asked, refraining from searching the teen's mind for the answer.

Nagi glanced down at Aya then met Schuldich's eyes. "Abyssinian and Siberian were lovers. Kritiker was going to wait another few years for their experiment; but the two lovers where found out and they became a liability. They are why Kritiker experimented on Weiss. They couldn't afford to have two of their top assassins become lovers; there was too great a risk they would get each other killed."

Schuldich snorted. "Ahh, the paranoid minds of our enemy. Makes me wonder why we have yet to defeat them."

"'Cause then we wouldn't have Aya-chan." Nagi explained logically, holding onto the toddler a little tighter.

"True." Schuldich admitted, leaning over to give both boys a kiss on their foreheads. "Now get some sleep, and don't worry too much about Balinese; Brad isn't giving Aya up and Kudou won't get past Farfie if he tries to take our kitten by force."

Nagi nodded. "Brad can be a bastered sometimes, but he's really possessive over things he claims."

"Just remember, he has claim to you, too." Schuldich reminded him standing carefully so he didn't jolt the bed.

"And you." Nagi said with a knowing grin. "But not Farfie, I think Aya's already got that job."

The telepath smiled and shook his head. "Go to sleep, Farfarello will stand watch."

"Good night Nagi." He said and nodded to the Irishmen before walking to Crawford's room.

***

The first thing Yohji felt when he woke was the plush cushions of a couch beneath him. The second was something lying on his chest; too small to be a woman, too big to be a cat. Opening his eyes slowly he was met with the vision of blood red hair.

Why the hell was Aya sleeping on him and why did he only have half a body? Yohji blinked several times before his sleep fogged mind gave him the answer he wanted. A two year old was sleeping on his chest; a former adult that had been regressed eighteen years because of stupidity. Or was it jealousy? Aya's journal had mentioned that Manx had found him and Ken having sex; and Yohji knew Manx secretly wanted Aya for herself. 

That, however, didn't explain _why_ there was a toddler sleeping on his chest.

Aya whined in his sleep molding himself closer to Yohji as he shivered in the cold of the room. The blond looked around carefully and saw a blanket caught in his bare feet. He must have kicked it off sometime in the night; which led to the question of how long Aya had been here.

He kept himself from jumping as a golden eye filled his vision suddenly. Farfarello looked down at him, a hostile expression on his face. The psychopath picked up the blanket and shook it out before placing it over Yohji and Aya.

"Don't disturb him." Farfarello warned quietly. "He needs…" he glanced up at a clock on the far wall, "…two more hours of sleep to stay healthy." 

Yohji glanced at the clock to find it was almost noon. "How long-" he started to ask but was cut off when Farfarello clamped a hand over his mouth.

"He slept an hour last night before coming in here; he played till five then decided you made a good bed." The Irishmen answered quickly then moved away to lean against a wall.

Yohji watched the man for a moment then stared down at the sleeping toddler. It wasn't much of a view; all he could see was red hair and a little arm clutching a teddy bear. As an adult Aya had never let anyone touch him, nor would he have been caught dead snuggling up to someone so innocently in sleep. Fujimiya, Ran had not been innocent; he had it stripped away when his whole family was killed, then what little remained was taken when he willingly killed in the name of revenge.

Baby Aya was the definition of innocents. He was undoubtedly adorable without meaning to be, with an air of shy charm that couldn't be faked. He wasn't a child that had mischief written all over him, curious about everything, yes, but not one that would test his limits before he got in trouble just because he could. Yohji had to wonder though if that was natural or if his caretakers had something to do with that.

Well maybe not, Aya was also the type of child that would hide from anything or anyone he was afraid of.

For three days Yohji had watched the child interact with the others as he went though his daily life. Since he had woken the first day- to find his weapons, identification, and shoes gone- he had figured since he wasn't going anywhere he might as well make sure Aya was alright. 

So he watched.

Farfarello followed the toddler everywhere he went; changed diapers as the child refused potty training, bathed him, fed him, played with him, and everything else a parent might do to help a child's first few years benefit them as they grew. When Nagi came home from school he played with Aya for a while then went to do his homework, usually while the toddler played in his room. Schuldich – when he wasn't with Brad- played with the child as well or rocked him in the rocking chair while the child slept.

However Brad couldn't be spared to even see the child. He ignored Aya when he went into the living room for something and the toddler held out his arms begging to be picked up. Farfarello would glare at the American until either he conceded and picked up the child for a while or left the room slamming the door to his office.

Thinking back to the conversation the night he broke in to rescue Aya, Yohji couldn't help but think that if anyone were to adopt the child it should have been Farfarello.

//He is// a voice said in the back of his mind, startling him out of his thoughts. The telepath strolled into the living room, carefully picked up Aya, blanket, teddy bear, and all; and sat in the rocking chair. //Brad might have the birth certificates, but Farfie and I have adoption papers that are just as good. If he where to leave with Aya tomorrow he could do so and have no problems. But he wont, Crawford might not want Aya, or Nagi for that matter, but he made sure they couldn't escape either//

Yohji sat up to look at the man. [How is that?] He asked silently.

Schuldich tucked a leg under the other and used his other leg to rock gently back and forth. //Farfarello won't leave without Nagi; he's appointed himself the guard to both. Brad knows this and made sure that he couldn't leave with Nagi. I could leave with both, but I suppose you know how good that fact is. Brad adopted Nagi and made it very clear that he won't give up anything that is his. Farfarello leaves with both, Brad will call it kidnapping.//

[Then why do you stay?] Yohji asked glancing at Farfarello. [Why not just leave if you can?]

There was a mental sigh. //Because I'm as much a prisoner as you are// he answered wistfully. //I don't know if he loves me, but I love him. No one ever said I had good taste or judgment when it came to my own heart. He has the ability to care for them, he just doesn't want to; he's been a cold hearted bastered too long. //

[You never struck me as one to be 'captive by love'] Yohji said.

//Yes, well, you have a lot to learn about people. I am human you know. Just because I act a certain way when it amuses me to, or because you once were my enemy, doesn't mean I act in such a way all the time. // Schuldich scolded // I was the one to bring Aya here, I found him. I could have easily killed him if I where the man you think I am. You've been watching all of us, are we what you think we are? //

[No,] Yohji admitted. [Except Crawford, he's as much of a bastered I always thought he was.]

A small smile spread over Schuldich's face. //That he is. Very controlling and controlled, in everything. You would think not a very good lover, having to control everything, even in the bed room. //

[Actually I would rather not think about it, thank you] Yohji said with a grimace. [Ken and Aya where cute together, I'll admit it. But I'm still having trouble digesting you as nice, let alone you and Crawford as lovers.]

Schuldich snorted. //That's an understatement.//

[Yes, well, give me back my things and maybe I'll be more agreeable.] Yohji answered irritably. 

//Not my decision// Schuldich said his attention wavering as Aya began to squirm. The telepath looked down at the child then looked up at the clock with a frown. Aya slid back as he pushed off Schuldich's chest with an unhappy whine and nearly fell onto the floor. The telepath reached out quickly in panic and grabbed the child before he hit the ground and held him up. The toddler looked at him with a blank expression then his face scrunched up and he wailed at the top of his lungs.

Farfarello had the child in his arms in a second, the back of his hand against Aya's forehead. "Fever." He said and vanished down the hall.

Schuldich sighed and rubbed his temples. "Well that was unexpected." He said to himself and stood slowly before following Farfarello. 

Yohji watched them for a moment then followed then down the hall to the bathroom. Farfarello was sitting on the closed toilet seat with Aya in his arms coaxing the child to hold still so he could stick a small device in his ear. The toddler held out his arms to nothing, tears streaming down his face. Farfarello finally got the device in Aya's ear, pressing a button and held it until the thing beeped.

"102°" the Irishmen said looking at the little screen then set the thermometer on the counter. He stared at it a moment then stood. "Alright, hospital then."

Schuldich nodded in agreement, following Farfarello out of the bathroom and into Nagi's room to pack up a day bag and get Aya changed.

"Why does he have to go to the hospital?" Yohji asked. "His fever isn't that high."

"For an adult maybe." Schuldich said stuffing a few things into the already over stuffed bag. "But for a child, a fever can be deadly. Aya is small for his age and very frail; it's always a good idea to take every precaution with him."

"Oh." Yohji said.

***

Esset's medical facility wasn't so much a hospital as a clinic. The nurse met them, eying Yohji suspiciously, looking him over and raised an eyebrow when she saw his bare feet.

"This way." She said turning her attention to Farfarello. "The doctor is waiting."

Farfarello nodded to the woman and followed her down the hall to an empty room; the doctor met them at the door asking for Schuldich and Yohji to wait in the hall while he gave Aya a check up. They waited as Aya alternately screamed and cried, wincing when the sound rose in volume. Twice Schuldich had to restrain Yohji from bursting into the room to demand why the doctor was hurting the child. Schuldich calmly reminded him each time that if the doctor were harming Aya then Farfarello would have come out carrying the mans head in his hand.

It didn't make Yohji any happier about it.

After nearly an hour Aya's cries died down and the doctor stepped out of the room leaving Farfarello behind. "It was a good thing you brought him here." The doctor said calmly. "He has influenza. I've made an order for antibiotics and blood work that should be back in a few hours. For now I want him to remain here until he's better, Farfarello has insisted on staying with him if that's alright with you."

Schuldich nodded. "It's not like I could force him to leave anyway." He said. "Is Aya going to be alright?"

"I don't know." The doctor said solemnly. "It will be touch and go for the next few days; we will do everything we can for him. Now, I would like Nagi to come and have a check up too, I understand he and Aya share a room?"

"Yes," Schuldich said.

The doctor nodded. "I would have still suggested it with Nagi being so young, but I will have to insist now; there is a good chance the boy has been infected as well."

"Then I will return with him." Schuldich said hurriedly, grabbed Yohji's arm and dragged the older man out of the hospital.

"What's the big hurry?" the blond asked wincing as he stepped on loose gravel.

Schuldich held out what looked like a pager. "Nagi's panic button," he said unlocking the car and slipping inside, followed by Yohji. "He's in trouble, or about to be grounded."

Yohji raised an eyebrow. "He's a telekinetic, why would he ever be in trouble?"

"He didn't use his gift when you threatened him with a knife." Schuldich pointed out, driving out of the parking lot and into traffic at a neck breaking speed. "If he's scared he can't concentrate, if he can't concentrate he can't use his gift; well except in panic, then he can use his gift." He glanced at Yohji. "Just remember, if you use that against him I will be forced to shut you down again and you will not be waking up."

"You forget." Yohji countered. "My people betrayed me and mine. I have nothing against you and yours unless you deliberately hurt Aya."

Schuldich nodded, "Just so long as we are on the same page then."

"We are." Yohji assured him.

The car weaved in and out of traffic a combination of luck and Schuldich's gift keeping them from being killed. Nagi's school was fifteen minutes away, less then ten with the telepath's driving. Both were out of the car before it even had time to stop, racing up the path to the school's main doors. Schuldich led the way to the teen's current class, stopping himself before he could burst inside. He looked through the window, searching for the boy and when he didn't find him, caught the teacher's attention.

"Yes?" the teacher asked, stepping out into the hall. "May I help you?"

"Naoe, Nagi, where is he?" Schuldich demanded.

The teacher blinked. "His father came to pick him up ten minutes ago."

"Who?" Schuldich asked. "What was his name?"

The teacher shook his head thinking. "Mr. Naoe." He answered after a moment.

The telepath growled. "He was adopted, there is no Mr. Naoe! The school records should say so!"

"I'm sorry sir!" the teacher said. "I was only given a note."

Schuldich turned and stalked back down the hall Yohji following close behind. As they left the school he took out his cell phone and called Brad. "It's me." He said when the American answered. "Is Nagi with you?"

~Of course not, he should be in school. ~ Brad answered. ~What's going on? ~

"Aya's in the hospital, he has the flu. When I was asked to bring Nagi in his panic button went off." He said rubbing his temple as he looked around as if looking for some clue. "His teacher said a Mr. Naoe came to get him."

~What?!~ Brad yelled over the line.

Schuldich frowned looking down at something on the ground and bent to pick it up. He held the object up to the light and cursed in German, in his hand was the panic button. "Get to the school, Nagi's been kidnapped."

~To Be Continued 

OO a cliffy! Phox is so mad at me! Love you Phox! Really!

Thanx to all my reviewers!

The repeat Reviewers:

Gamegirl28- I have two words for you- they're men! Hehe, nah, Schu and Brad fight, they don't think about anything else, males! Ohhhh that's what I ate that I got sick eating in Japan! That explains so much with Gravitation too. Course it was a Strawberry one, in both cases.

Leanie- *gives Farfie over for a hug, Farfie looks disgruntled but huggles back anyway* there's your hug! Yes isn't Farfie so good to them? I like Farfie. Brad needs his ass kicked don't he?

Female Heero Yuy- *pushes Heero toward Brad* here whip him into submission *runs away* your as bad as Phox! (In a good way *wink*) here is your next chappy *points up* did you like it? Next one will be following in the same amount of time.- in fact could I get some input on drama such as what you do well? My email is on my profile.

Hele- again- thank you very much, I wasn't sure if the chars are done right, you know different view from what I've read in fiction. I don't think I have Yohji quiet right though.

Kat-jen-insane- sorry Nagi cant run away, he likes Farfie too much and Brad wont let him be the daddy *mutters* damn Brad…..

Syberian X- well Schu swears in German as you well know, I think I will teach Aya a few things….I mean Schu will….*sweatdrops* thanks again for Betaing!

And two new reviewers (love those too)

Starkitsune- I do too! *yells at Farfie* what happens next???

HeeroDuo4eva- why thank you I'd like some Heero/Duo…..*winks*…did you like this chappy too?

And to the reviewers that didn't review this time- *cries* please review!

That goes for everyone *winks*

I got everyone right?

Next chappy- Yohji, Brad and Schuldich have a race against time to save Nagi, both from his captors and from the illness he could be dieing of (yes the flu can kill). But what Nagi's kidnappers want from him might be far worse then any thing they've faced before, all leading to one Dramatic Rescue and one Heroic Sacrifice.

**Part One, Chapter Four- Count Down**


	4. Part One Chapter Four Count Down

**Part One Chapter Four- Count Down**

***

Ten minutes earlier.

Nagi sat at his desk trying to read his textbook. It was no use really, he was too miserable to pay attention to the assignment. Maybe he should have stayed home, his back hurt more than it normally did after hours of sitting at a desk and he was sure he had a fever that came with cold chills.

He hoped he hadn't made Aya sick before he knew he was ill.

Nagi contemplated 'calling' Schuldich to come get him or if he should just press the panic button and take the grounding that would follow. No, class would be over in twenty minutes, he'd go to a pay phone and call home to tell them he was sick, then he wouldn't get in trouble.

"Mr. Naoe," the teacher called from the front of the class. Nagi looked up half wondering if he _was_ in trouble. The teacher continued, "Your father called. He says for you to go home immediately."

Nagi nodded putting his things away and silently left the room. He made his way down the hall slowly, knowing that Crawford would be waiting outside. How odd that Brad would be taking him out of school. It had always been 'father' for Brad and 'uncle' for Schuldich, so there was no surprise there. But Crawford was very strict about school- and everything- so what had happened that was such an emergency? Was Aya sick? No that couldn't be it; Schu would have been the one to get him.

He absently played with the panic button around his neck with a frown. He couldn't help but think something was wrong. There couldn't be an assignment, Aya was their permanent assignment until he got older. He stopped just outside the school doors; so that would go to show Crawford would not be taking him out of school, Schuldich would but the teacher had said 'father' hadn't he? Maybe he should go back to the office and double check.

"Naoe-chan?" a voice said behind and to the right of him, in bad Japanese. Nagi spun around to come face to face with the ugliest, biggest man he had ever seen. The man smiled making him even uglier. "Your father asked me to pick you up, I'm a co-worker of his."

Nagi backed up, turned and ran down the steps of the school pressing the panic button as he went. Something hit him from behind, lodging to his shoulder, causing him to stumble and his vision to grow dim. The man was on him in seconds, plucking the dart from his shoulder and yanked the panic button from around his neck, throwing it into the parking lot.

"Little brat, you should have come willingly!" the man growled and slapped him hard across the face, knocking him out cold.

***

2:30pm

~What do you mean Nagi's been kidnapped? ~ Crawford yelled into the cell phone. ~How could he have been kidnapped? You can track him! ~

Schuldich winced. "I'd have to have a general idea where he is first." He reminded his lover as calmly as he could. "Just meet us at the house, we'll go from there."

~I'll be there in ten minutes. ~ Brad said and the line went dead.

Schuldich cursed again, this time in English. "Come on," he said defeated, sliding into the driver's side of his car.

Yohji nodded getting into the passenger seat. "What about Aya?" He asked, absently rubbing his foot.

Schuldich peeled out of the parking lot at twice the speed he had before. "Farfarello won't let him out of his sight. Nothing and no one is going to get Aya while he's there." He answered, swerving to keep from running into a tree.

"And if a potential kidnapper is dressed as a doctor?" Yohji asked in counter.

Schuldich glanced at the older man and swore in four languages. "You know none of us ever went so low as to hurt a child." He said and spun a U-Turn heading for the hospital. "Ouka doesn't count; Farfarello was just pissed at Takatori." He flittered his hand about. "And she was female; he has this thing about females."

"Would never have guessed." Yohji said dryly. Then, suddenly, he remembered something Aya had remarked on in his journal, and swore more fluently in English then the German did.

"What?" Schuldich demeaned.

"I remember something Aya wrote in his journal." Yohji said, "He found a file that Kritiker had on both him and Nagi. He asked the question 'what would Kritiker want with a teenager with telekinesis?' Then asked, 'what would they want with a child?' Kritiker has been watching Nagi since he was nine."

Schuldich frowned. "That was before Crawford found him." he said and skidded to a halt in front of the hospital. "If that is true then it would be logical to conclude that Kritiker kidnapped Nagi."

Yohji nodded in agreement, "But why now? Why not take him when he was nine?"

"Maybe he didn't have control of his gift then?" Schuldich suggested. "Or maybe he wasn't old enough then Crawford and Schwartz got in the way?"

"Why now of all times?" Yohji asked again.

The telepath frowned again, "The experiment on Weiss; they wish to do the same to him." His frown deepened. "That doesn't give us much time to find him."

Yohji frowned himself. "Something about that nags me. I need to read the journal again."

"Later," Schuldich said and got out of the car. "Right now there are more important things to do."

Yohji frowned but silently followed the German into the hospital.

They silently walked down the hall headed for Aya's room. Yohji paid no attention to his surroundings, trusting the German to know where he was going. Schuldich opened one of the doors to a room standing back as he waited for the blond assassin to enter. Yohji looked around the room in confusion taking note of the empty bed and unused equipment. This was not Aya's room.

"Schu-" the assassin started, roughly cut off as he suddenly found himself slammed against a wall. "What the hell?!"

 "Klappe!" the telepath growled. "Where did they take Nagi?" he demanded wrapping a strong hand around the slender mans throat. "How should I know?" Yohji gasped holding onto the redhead's wrist. "I don't even know who kidnapped him!"

Schuldich tightened his hold. "We were fine until you showed up." He growled. "This is all your fault. You betrayed your own friends."

"Like hell I did!" Yohji said gritting his teeth. "I'd never betray them! Why the hell would any of that lead to Nagi being kidnapped? Kritiker betrayed us, not Schwartz. And as far as I can tell you're doing a fine job of raising Aya, I have no reason to betray anyone!"

"Liar!" Schuldich shouted squeezing harder.

"Look into my mind if you don't believe me." The blond whispered, his lips starting to turn blue.

Schuldich let out a sharp cry and released Yohji. He stalked to the other side of the room, his hands buried in his hair. Yohji slid to the floor coughing hard as he tried to fill his lungs with air.

"Das kann einfach nicht wahr sein." He muttered to himself. " Nagi, wo bist du?"

 "If Kritiker has Nagi then they probably took him to one of their holding facilities." Yohji offered still on the floor, his breathing under control. "Depending on what they want him for will tell us were they took him."

The telepath took a deep breath and turned to the blond. "How so?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"Well they have to have a reason for wanting him other then simple capture." Yohji explained patting his pockets for cigarettes that weren't there. "They went to a lot of trouble just to get him out of school and will have to go through more to keep him from using his gift and calling for help. That gets into a whole 'nother section of Kritiker I know very little about."

Schuldich raised an eyebrow at the blond fishing out his cigarettes and handed them to Yohji. "If you know nothing, then how do you know that?" he asked curiously.

"I might be lazy and such, but I'm not stupid." Yohji said lighting the cigarette with the lighter he found in the pack. "I do know how to listen and watch. There were some pretty strange things going on before I went to America, and I found even stranger things in the States. Kritiker's been experimenting with things that would rival Takatori."

"So where is Nagi?" Schuldich asked lighting his own cigarette.

Yohji shook his head. "I wouldn't even know where to begin looking."

They sat in silence lost in there own thoughts as they nursed their cigarettes. Yohji leaned against the wall searching his memory for anything that might help find Nagi. He liked the kid, Nagi loved Aya, doing everything in his power to make sure the child was happy and protected. In fact that's what he liked about all of them; except maybe Crawford. They all did their part to help a child that was once their enemy, where they could have very easily left him to the wolves. Aya had been his friend once, and he hoped the boy would be so again when he grew up. The least he could do for them was help.

If only he could remember whatever it was that nagged him.

Schuldich stubbed out his cigarette in a bedpan. "We have to find Nagi soon." He said staring at the spent nicotine as if it were a poisonous snake. 

Yohji frowned at his own cigarette. "What was the doctor saying about bringing Nagi in for testing? I mean he's old enough to fight illness and he wasn't concerned about the rest of us."

"He's a child." Schuldich said simply, running a hand over his face. "The doctor is a pediatrician; he wouldn't care about us; we're adults."

Yohji raised an eyebrow unconvinced.

The German swore in at least three languages then glared at the blond. "Oh, you are defiantly _not_ leaving the house after this!" he vowed angrily. Yohji simply waited for Schuldich to answer him. The redhead sighed. "We all pay a price for our gifts; either long term or instantaneous. Nagi pays for his with his health; it's why we have a pediatrician on staff. Aya is still a baby; his immune system isn't fully developed yet, so a virus could be deadly. For Nagi a virus is deadly unless caught in time. If he is sick and his captors don't think to do something about it; then every minute he's without treatment brings him that closer to death."

Yohji winced. "I wish I knew where they took him."

Schuldich nodded. "Maybe we'll get lucky and one of the adults will do something vision worthy."

"Maybe," Yohji agreed trying- and failing- to look optimistic.

Schuldich rolled his eyes. "Come on, we can't hold out on telling Farfarello any longer." He said, offering Yohji a hand up then opened the door.

Yohji stretched a little and dusted himself off. "Schuldich." He said calling the man back.

"What?" the German asked almost softly, half turning to look at the blond.

Yohji looked him straight in the eye. "What was your price?"

Schuldich stared at him for a long moment then turned back toward the door.

"Silence."

***

Farfarello sat in a chair beside the hospital bed Aya slept in, his arms crossed over his chest, eye closed. Anyone that looked at him would think he was sleeping when in fact he was completely aware of his surroundings, patiently waiting for Schuldich to return or for someone to make a wrong move. Not that it was likely someone that wasn't suppose to be here would, but no one ever said he wasn't paranoid. 

He didn't move as the door opened and closed allowing two people into the room, but did relax slightly. "Where's Nagi?" he asked in monotone.

"How's the baby?" Schuldich asked avoiding the question.

Farfarello opened his eye turning to stare at the German. "What happened?" he demanded standing gracefully and walked to Schuldich until he was inches way. 

The telepath looked very troubled. "His panic button went off; by the time we got to the school he had already been kidnapped."

The psychopath's eye narrowed. "Kidnapped." He repeated carefully. "Have you told Crawford?" Schuldich nodded silently. Farfarello glanced at Yohji. "Who?"

"Most likely Kritiker." Yohji answered, "If they didn't follow me, then they have been planning this for some time."

Farfarello looked at Schuldich accusingly. "And you didn't kill him?" he hissed.

"He's not responsible." Schuldich defended quietly. "He really was looking for Aya for himself, and is really hiding from Kritiker."

"Brad is not going to be happy about this." Farfarello said accepting the telepath's word without question.

"I know." Schuldich said. "We came here to tell you to watch out; someone might come here in disguise to kidnap Aya. You're going to be his only protection for now."

Farfarello nodded. "If anyone comes in here I won't let them take Aya anywhere I can't go."

"And don't let them stick anything in his IV." Crawford said from the doorway; to anyone else he looked calm and uncaring, but to Farfarello and Schuldich he looked pissed. "Not unless the doctor is there to do it himself."

Farfarello nodded backing away from Schuldich; he did not want to get caught in the crossfire even if he wouldn't feel anything. If he got hurt he wouldn't be able to take care of Aya. 

As anticipated the moment Crawford was close enough he slapped Schuldich hard across the face. The telepath stood still in shock lifting a hand to cover his cheek, tears stinging his eyes in an involuntary reaction. He moved his hand away from his face to find a thin line of blood; Brad must have warn a ring backwards for maximum damage.

Crawford backhanded him on the other cheek this time knocking the younger man to the floor. Schuldich scrambled out of the way in self preservation staying as far away from his lover as possible. In all the times he had been with Schwartz he had only been hit by Takatori, no one else had ever touched him and since he didn't have to act like a stuck up ass here he wasn't against 'running away'.

"How dare you let Nagi get kidnapped, you are responsible for his safety!" Crawford said in a low dangerous voice. Advanced on the telepath again, Schuldich curled up wrapping his arms over his head. Crawford grabbed his hair forcing him to stand. "You should know where he is at all times! How can you lose him?!"

"Crawford…." Schuldich started holding his hair to keep it from being ripped out and was rewarded with another slap. He couldn't fight back, fighting back would mean killing the other because of the shields Crawford had, and physical fighting back would mean a worse beating, it was lose, lose anyway he put it. "Crawford! Stop!"

"Shut-up!" Crawford yelled and punched him in the gut repeatedly.

Farfarello grabbed him from behind, pulling him off the telepath, having seen enough. "Crawford, stop." He ordered, watching as Schuldich crumpled to the ground. "That's not going to bring Nagi back!"

Crawford pushed him away and leaned against the wall at the other side of the room still fuming.  "He should have been about to save him!" he protested half-heartedly.

"It's not his fault." Farfarello told him quietly. "By your logic you're just as responsible, not having a vision that would tell us where Nagi is."

Yohji knelt down next to Schuldich, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. Schuldich curled into a ball, eyes tightly closed, face contorted in pain, arms protecting his head. The blond looked at the Seer angrily. "I think I was wrong." He said standing. "I think Aya would be better off with me, if this is how you treat your lover. What will happen the first time Aya does something stupid? Or something he can't help because he doesn't know any better? Will you beat him for something he can't help? Will you keep him in fear of what you'll do next till his only option is to run way? Or rebel so bad he really does get in trouble? Are you really that abusive Crawford?"

"How dare you!" Crawford said angrily.

"No! How dare you!" Yohji interrupted. "I've watched you for three days and I can tell you I don't like what I see. The others can act human; even Farfarello. You treat them like they are your property, and not good property at that. Schuldich is your lover and you treat him like dirt, Aya is supposed to be your son and I have not once seen you act like a loving father. Nagi is afraid of you, did you know that? And from what I've heard you didn't act like this six months ago. So what the hell is your problem?!"

Crawford glanced at Schuldich as Farfarello helped him into a chair. The young man stared blankly ahead in shock; his face was already showing signs of bruising. The telepath's parents had been abusive. It was one of Schuldich's quirks, set an enemy against him and he was fine; but the moment someone he cared about raised a hand against him, he was back in Germany as a small child hiding in a closet from his father's wrath.

And Crawford had stupidly hit him for no good reason.

He glared angrily at the blond. "It's none of your business."

Yohji's eyes narrowed; for a second he thought the Seer would finally admit what was wrong. "You made it my business the moment you took Aya as your own."

"What do you care?" Crawford shouted. "It's not like he's your own flesh and blood!"

Yohji flinched and remained silent.

Brad's eyes narrowed. "You are, aren't you?" he asked. "That's why you were concerned with him more then the others."

The blond flinched again and stared at the floor. "I don't know," he admitted. "My mother had an affair with a man whose last name may or may not have been Fujimiya. Which resulted in me, before he married Aya's mother."

 "Did Aya know?" Farfarello asked from where he stood guarding over Schuldich.

Yohji shook his head. "There were suppose to be blood tests, but somehow I don't think Kritiker cares."

They were silent for a moment, the fight drained temporarily from their systems. The only sound was the heart monitor beeping steadily in echo of Aya's heart; the device wasn't necessary, used only as a precaution as were the antibiotics used to stave of any infection the child might get while so ill.

"He's so small." Yohji said quietly walking to the bed and gently lifted Aya's tiny hand into his. "I wonder if he was this little as a child or if this is a side affect-" he froze staring blankly at the baby's hand. Suddenly everything fell into place as memory resurfaced.

_~ "We moved Weiss to a different location," Manx said over the phone. "There was an accident and the others had some side affects that needed tending to…."~_

"What is it?" Brad asked watching the young man carefully.

Yohji blinked and shook his head, placing Aya's hand back on the bed. "I need my shoes and gear." He said turning to face the others. "I know where they took Nagi."

***

Nagi opened his eyes carefully, flinching at the small amount of light that filled the room. He had the strangest sensation of rocking and half wondered when Crawford decided they would go on a boat trip. Blinking slowly he sat up carefully and looked around.

He was not on a boat with the only family he knew.

Metal bars surrounded him and the rocking feeling was from the fact he was in a cage at least ten feet off the ground. He gasped, backing up as much as the small pallet tangled around his legs would allow. He turned violently causing the cage to swing back and forth harder making his vision swim. He tried to use his power to make the cage stop, but found he couldn't use his gift and trying drained him more then usual. 

Falling back unto the pallet breathing hard Nagi closed his eyes tightly waiting for the cage to stop its movements. Soft tears slipped from behind his lashes and into his hair, a sob lodged in his throat. He remembered. Someone had kidnapped him from school, drugged him, and probably did something to make sure he couldn't escape while he had been helpless. He had no way of knowing how long he had been unconscious or if anyone had received his message when he pressed his panic button. He tried to contact Schuldich but, as predicted, found he couldn't.

Somewhere in the room a door opened and the clack of heels echoed off the walls. Nagi sat up careful not to make the cage move again and turned spotting the Kritiker agent known as Manx.

"Ah, I see you have finally woken." The red headed woman said with a disarming smile. "Did you sleep well?"

Nagi just stared at her.

Manx shrugged. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Because I'm Schwartz and the easiest to capture?" Nagi hazard sarcastically.

Manx smirked. "Silly boy. You don't know half of what you are. Even without the telekinesis we would have eventually found you, the enzymes that keep you immune from every major disease-"

Nagi snorted. "Lady, you have a few things wrong. My immune system doesn't do squat to help me."

Manx laughed. "Now who told you that? Crawford? Esset? One of the many doctors that you have seen since you were 'found'?"

"If I'm so immune to everything them why am I sick from something my little-" he snapped then slapped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from saying to much.

"Little brother?" Manx asked with a frightening smile. "Is that what you call him? Aya's so cute and cuddly, nothing like Ran. Tell me Nagi, how did it feel when his real brother came looking for him? Did it hurt to know you where no longer 'big brother'?"

"What?" Nagi asked surprised. Yohji was Aya's brother?

"Oops," Manx said as if she hadn't meant to let that slip. "I guess you didn't know. Kudou's mother was a bit of a whore and had an affair with Aya's father before he was born. It didn't click in the big lugs head until he learned Aya's real name." she shrugged. "But it's no matter, you won't remember in a few hours. We have your blood; the same serum used on Weiss will be used on you, attuned to your DNA."

Nagi's eyes widened. "No!" he yelled crawling up to the cage bars. "You'll kill me!"

Manx shrugged. "It's no matter, we still have your blood." She turned heading for the door. "Don't bother trying to escape, the drug we gave you won't wear off." She said over her shoulder, and then was gone.

Nagi held onto the bars trying with all his might to separate them anyway he could. He had to stop a moment later as the effort tied him more then it should have. Feeling his forehead he noted with a sinking heart that the fever had risen. Letting silent tears fall the teen crawled back to the pallet and curled up in the blankets. 

Down below on a small metal hook, the cage's key shook by an unknown hand and fell to the floor.

***

6:15pm

Crawford stopped two blocks away from the complex, pulling his car into a near by parking lot. Three men got out of the car and casually walked to the diner the parking lot severed.

He glanced at the two beside him, noting with a heavy heart that Schuldich was keeping Yohji between them and refused to look anywhere in Crawford's direction. He had a lot to atone for, something that would have to wait until they had Nagi safe back home. For now the main goal was to get the teen out of enemy hands. 

"When Manx told me to meet her here before I thought it was strange that Weiss would be moved here." Yohji said in a low voice as they sat at booth near the window with a good view of the warehouse.

"How so?" Crawford asked as he ordered three cups of coffee for sake of show.

"It was one of Kritiker's bio-research facilities that 'shut down' in the late eighties." Yohji answered, looking around just in case an operative was in the café.

"What type of bio-research?" Schuldich asked, obviously uncomfortable with being boxed in the booth by the blond, while eyeing Crawford wearily.

"Probably ways to enhance operatives." Yohji said with a shrug, falling silent as the waitress brought the coffee. "Guess from what happened to Aya, Ken, and Omi, I'd say the research had something to do with DNA. I dunno, maybe de-ageing was an unexpected side affect they are using to their advantage."

Crawford nodded. "You said the serum regressed its victim eighteen years?"

Yohji frowned doing the math in his head. "If what I saw was true." He answered. "Ken could have been two, comparing from how he and Aya look. Quite possibly they used more then one serum."

"I wonder which they would use on Nagi, if that's their intent." Schuldich said a bit more as his usual self. "One will kill him; the other will put him in more danger."

"That's why we need to go in soon." Yohji said. "I would think they'd want to keep Nagi for what ever reason they wanted him before."

"What?" Crawford asked looking between the two watching with dissatisfaction as Schuldich shrank in his seat.

Yohji glanced at the telepath with a slight frown. "Aya kept a journal. He discovered that Kritiker had been watching him and Nagi since they were children. He suspected that if you hadn't found him, Nagi would have been in their hands."

Crawford nodded. That made sense according to the vision he had, had before 'finding' the boy. "Why did they want Aya?"

Yohji shrugged. "He didn't know, though he suspected it had something to do with psychic gifts. He thought he may have had a gift as a child he doesn't remember. No point in asking him now."

"Alright," Crawford said. "Any idea how we're going to pull this off?"

Yohji shook his head. "At this point we're hoping for a miracle, or a vision. Once inside there shouldn't be a problem. It's getting in we have to worry about."

Brad stirred his coffee absently mulling over the situation in his head, silently willing a vision that would help. When one hit and gave him his answer, it was not one he was expecting; but it would do.

***

8:10pm

"Gentlemen, so nice of you to come." Manx said cheerfully, walking into the holding cell where two Schwartz and one ex-Weiss were being held.

The plan had been simple, try to beak in; not hard enough to get killed, but enough to be caught and taken into enemy territory. Per prediction the plan had gone off without a hitch and with two watches switched they still had a weapon at their disposal.

Yohji glared at Manx while the other two simply sat quietly fuming at how easily the blond had 'led' them to capture. "We are so honored." The ex-Weiss replied sarcastically twisting away as the redhead woman reached out to caress his face.

"My dear Balinese." Manx said in a mocking coon. "Aren't you happy your dear baby brother is a baby once again so you can grow up with him?"

"Only because I know you can't try to fuck him while he's so helpless." The blond spat angrily. "And that he's safely away from you so you can't train him to be his lap dog."

The woman growled. "Oh, he'll be mine sooner or later." She said confidently. "Even if I have to trade all of you for him."

Crawford snorted. "Farfarello is under strict orders to leave the country and disappear if anything happens to us." He informed her. "He will not trade for any of us."

"Is that so?" Manx mused thoughtfully. "It's no matter, we'll eventually find him."

"You can't beat true love anyway." Yohji said in a pure Yohji move.

Manx's eyes flashed dangerously. "Really?" she asked in a low purr, "If my memory serves me, the little ones won't remember anything about their former lives. Which means that the two little love birds won't remember anything about each other." She paused and looked confused in a mocking manner. "Or were you talking about Bombay?"

"Bitch." Yohji said in a low growl.

The Kritiker agent shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway." She said, snapping her fingers. A man in a lab coat stepped forward with a pressure syringe and injected something into Schuldich's neck. "Once I'm done with you there will be no memory of any lusty feelings."

Schuldich's eyes fluttered closed and he fell against Crawford, whimpering softly. Brad held his lover carefully smoothing his hand through the redhead's hair. "What did you do to him?" the leader of Schwartz demanded angrily.

"Just made sure he can't use his gift, ever." Manx said with another one of her scary smiles. "I can't have him hurting anyone with his mental gifts now, can I?"

Yohji and Crawford exchanged looks; this was not part of the plan.

"Where's Nagi?" Yohji demanded, turning back to the woman with an angry glare. 

Manx smirked. "I suppose I can let you see him before we give him the serum." She said thoughtfully. "It will be your last memory of him before you too are regressed."

 Yohji continued to glare at the woman. "I will be your downfall." He assured her coldly.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Empty threats." She said mildly. "Now come, before you annoy me anymore. Oh and Oracle, you might want to carry Mastermind, he's not in any condition to be walking on his own."

Crawford growled at the woman, but did as suggested, lifting the younger man into his arms. Schuldich moaned at the movement, curling up against Brad's chest and wrapping his arms around the man's neck securely. More than ever the Seer regretted the way he had treated his lover and two 'sons' over the last few months and especially today. If there was one thing this blotched mission taught him, it was that he cared more about his family and he feared for their safety.

The trio followed Manx down the long halls of the warehouse to one particularly large door that housed the largest room in the building. A human-sized cage hung from the ceiling, suspended ten feet in the air with no overt sign of how it was moved up and down. Nagi was in that cage rustled from his nest of blankets at the sound of the door opening. The teen's eyes widened as he caught sight of his teammates and family and let out a soft cry when he noted Schuldich being carried by Brad.

Manx was pleased.

"Crawford?" the teen said in a small voice. "No, they got you too? What happened to Schuldich?"

Brad nodded. "Sorry kiddo, we tried. They gave Schu some sort of drug that knocked out his gift."

Nagi nodded. "They gave me the same drug?" he said in a frightened voice. "Yohji?"

"Yeah?" Yohji answered, irritation coloring his voice as he glared at Manx.

Nagi swallowed. "Is Aya really your brother?" he asked tentatively.

The blond blinked, turning his gaze to the teen, his expression softening. "Yes, he is Nagi." He said softly. "But he's your brother now too, don't forget it."

Nagi nodded. "Does that mean Crawford's going to be your dad too?" he asked, trying to ease the tension least he start crying.

Yohji glanced back at Crawford with a light smile. "Sure squirt, we'll have to remember to torment dear old Dad when we get home. How 'bout it?"

"It's a deal?" The teen answered slightly reassured.

Manx snorted. "There will be no 'going home' for you little boy." She said, taking out a pressure needle from a case she had being carrying, and then pressed a button on the wall lowering the cage.

Nagi yelled in panic as the metal jolted and began lowering him closer to his impending doom. He wasn't going to kid himself now, only a miracle would save him from death now. One that unfortunately had failed to rescue him, though they had tried.

"Dad." The teen called out to Crawford, using the word he had longed to call the man since the adoption.

Brad's head snapped and his heart almost stopped. Never had he thought such a title would make him so happy, even in this situation. "Yes, son?" he asked with a slight, true smile.

Nagi smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Dad, I should have paid more attention, but I just wanted to go home. I still want to go home!" he said, crawling forward to the cage door and opened his fist to revel the key to the lock.

Then everyone acted.

***

10:50pm

Aya was crying again.

The fever had spiked to dangerous levels, sounding an alarm that had sent several doctors and nurses into the tiny room to try and save the child. They had tried everything they knew, managing to keep the fever stabilized but had been unable to lower it.

They didn't expect the child to live out the night.

Which brought forth Aya's second word in his _young_ life.

"Da'ie!" the child screamed, the parental English title slurred by illness and tears. "Da'ie!"

"Shh." Farfarello soothed, cuddling the child carefully. "Daddy will come back."

"Da'ie!" Aya continued holding onto the psychopath tightly, clutching his shirt in tiny hands.

As if answering the call, Crawford burst into the room.

He looked like he had been through a small war. His once pristine clothing was now dirty and torn in some places, sans glasses, usually slicked back hair falling into his face. He looked less then his usually self, but to one small boy he was the god-that-took-the-hurt-away.

"Da'ie!" Aya yelled, suddenly feeling much better despite the high fever and uncertain that the man would actually pick him up.

Crawford's smile was breathtaking, the first of its kind Farfarello had seen on the man in all the years he had known Brad. The Seer rushed forward the last few steps into the room and scooped Aya into his arms- pulling out the IV in the process- and held the child against his chest, burring his nose in the boy's blood red hair.

Farfarello looked at the door expectantly, frowning when no one else walked trough the door. "Where are the others?" he asked in English, the light lilt to his voice doing nothing to mast his worry. 

Crawford sighed and looked at the ultra blond. "Nagi is being treated for a fever, he'll be fine in a few hours." He said slowly. "Schuldich is home resting…there was an accident; one I will tell you about later."

Farfarello nodded. "What about the other?"

"With them." Crawford said his words and tone meaning Yohji was now Kritiker's captive, not their spy. "How's Aya?" he asked changing the subject, feeling the child's forehead. He didn't like that it was still so hot.

Farfarello bit his lip in an old habit of nervousness only his teammates had ever seen. "That's the bad news."

Crawford blinked, looking down at the child who was resting his head tucked under Brad's chin, sucking his thumb contently. "What do you mean bad news?"

Farfarello lowered his head, idly watching his hands fiddle with the hem of his shirt.

Brad's eyes narrowed. "Farfarello, look at me."

The younger man did as told. "The doctors can only keep the fever from rising, but it's still at dangerous levels. They can't do anymore, if not the flu, they don't know what's wrong." He sighed deeply. "They don't expect him to live out the night."

Crawford sucked in a breath, instinctively holding Aya a little tighter. "How long?"

Farfarello shrugged. "Maybe an hour."

_Yohji breathed hard as he felt the serum meant for Nagi already starting to change his body. He grasped Crawford's wrist tightly, slapping a pressure needle into his hand. "I figured it out." He said in a forced voice. "Use this to help him and be the loving father I know you can me; be to both of them. And give Aya his journal and my watch when he's ready. And tell him about me, tell him I'm his big brother and I'll be back to be one for him someday. Tell him I love him…._

Shaking off the memory Crawford fished out the pressure needle from his pocket and stared at it. At first he thought Yohji meant Nagi or Schuldich; but now he realized the blond had been thinking of his little brother. The drug inside had been the same substance to knock out Schuldich and Nagi's gifts, however with the fever Nagi had burned off the affect quickly.

_"He might have had a gift as a child he doesn't remember."_

There was a small amount of the drug in the vial. Just enough to dampen a gift that a little body and mind couldn't cope with, one that was slowly killing Aya.

"Did the doctors check for any gifts?" Crawford asked absently. "Empathy maybe?"

"Not that I know of." Farfarello said carefully.

Crawford nodded and lifted Aya's shirt, depressing the drug into the child before he felt the prick of the needle. Aya cried out startled, immediately falling asleep. "Good." He said throwing the needle on the bed. "Go fetch Nagi, we are going home."

"What about Aya?" Farfarello asked, worried about the way Crawford was acting.

"He'll be find now." Brad assured him, setting the sleeping child on the bed and started packing up.

Farfarello watched the man for a moment then left without a word.

***

3 days later…

"There," Nagi said, putting the clasps security on the frame and set it on his nightstand along with the others. It was a picture of Yohji and Aya on that fateful day. He had been feeling ill and was late for school, but just had to stop to take a picture of the sleeping pair.

He picked up one of the other pictures; this one of the three 'brothers' that Schuldich had been more then happy to take. They really looked like a happy family, one that Nagi vowed to keep that way for as long as he was able.

"Nayi." Aya chattered, toddling to the bed holding a book in his hand. The child didn't really remember the three days Yohji had been with them, or the time in the hospital. He had no idea about the events of the day, nor would he be told- though Nagi was keeping a new journal just for him along with a photo album of Weiss and Yohji- it was safer that way.

It had been determined that Aya was a natural Empath, a gift he had suppressed the first time around, one they were going to make sure Aya knew how to use when he was old enough. For now the drug dampened the gift, he still felt strong emotion but the sensitivity was not longer life threatening and the affects of the drug would wear off the older he got.

Nagi would be back to full power in a few months.

"Aya-chan, come here." The teen beckoned and lifted the child into his lap. Lifting the picture once more he tapped the image of Yohji. "See him? He's your brother, our brother. His name is Yohji. He can't live with us right now, 'cause bad people have him. But he loves you very much."

Aya poked the image with a tiny finger. "Yo-ye." He said in recognition, he poked the other image, "Nayi." Then his own. "Ay-ah." He said and squealed in delight.

Nagi smiled. "That's right," he said setting the picture down and took the book, shifting the child to get more comfortable.

***

Schuldich had not fared as well as the others.

 Three days ago Crawford had laid him on his bed, removed his shoes and coat then rushed off to the hospital. Schuldich has woken to the nightmare silence had provided and had laid curled on his bed since.

He had no more gifts. No slight mummers of people in the back of his mind. No ability to reach out and talk to someone far away. No soft soothing sound of music only the mind could create.

Nothing.

It he had the will to do more he would have stumbled into the bathroom and slit his wrists. As it was Crawford would probably have a vision and smack him around some more just for trying.

Stupid man and his stupid gift!

"Hey," Brad said from the doorway.

"Go away." Schuldich said, softly flopping over to stare at the wall.

"No," Brad said sternly, walking into the room and watched the younger man carefully. 'God, he's barely out of his teens and still so much the teenager he was when I met him.' Crawford thought sadly and sat on the edge of the bed.

Schuldich flipped around and slid off the bed, onto the floor, in panic. Without his gift he had no idea what Brad was thinking and was now presented with the fact he now lacked the confidence to defend himself.

Brad sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you Schuldich." He said softly reaching out but thought better of it and dropped his hand to rest on the bed. "I am sorry about what I did to you. I've never let my temper slip like that."

Schuldich nodded ever so slightly, but still looked as if Crawford would strike him at any moment. "I-I'll be gone tomorrow." He stammered, standing slowly keeping out of Crawford reach. "I'll only take what I need."

 Brad looked at the former telepath confused. "Why?" he asked, "Don't tell me what I did was that unforgivable."

Schuldich shook his head, "I'm of no use as I am to Esset, to Schwartz," he swallowed. "To you. I've lost my gift, my worth, myself."

Crawford stood, carefully walking to the young man, took his hand and pressing it to his chest about his heart. "You are right here." He said quietly. "I love you, Schuldich. Nothing will change that. Maybe you won't regain your gift; maybe you will, but that won't change the fact that you are important to this team, to this family, to me."

"I love you too." Schuldich whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks.

Crawford reached up to wipe away the tears. "Then why are you crying?" he asked.

"Schuldig," the younger man answered. Using the phrase as a word not his name. "I've never had silence before. There is nothing to drown out the memories and the guilt of what I've done. I don't know how to deal with it."

Brad smiled softly and brushed his lips against Schuldich's. "One day at a time, my love. If you didn't have the guilt when faced with it, I would think of you as less then human. But you aren't and you do, and you won't have to kill for a very long time. Or have you forgotten our baby already?"

Schuldich looked at him puzzled for a moment. "What does Aya have to do with anything?"

Crawford rolled his eyes. "Nagi, not Aya, though he's ours too. But Nagi's ours, alone, together." He gently caressed the side of the younger man's face. "We make the family you always wanted. And Aya being so young, _and_ Esset wants him to be a normal child, we don't have to do any more missions or killing. We'll move if you want, anywhere you want. I'm going to do everything in my power to make you happy."

Schuldich hugged the man tight, burring his face in Crawford's neck and breathed in his scent. "Nothing makes me happier then being with you." He whispered in the man's ear. "Make love to me, Brad."

Crawford shivered, the few months they had been together sex had not come up, par Schuldich's request. The man had a shaky past, especially with people he love and would not 'spoil' a relationship by doing the horizontal tango without serious thought- though Brad suspected the man was a virgin in all forms of sex and merely was a good 'bluff'.

He held the younger man out at arm's length. "Are you sure?" he asked, watching the man carefully.

Schuldich looked a little nervous, but confidant. "I'm sure." He said, took Brad's hand in his and lay down on his bed taking Brad with him.

***

Kritiker Research Lab

Manx strode into the large room with a wide smile and pressed a button to lower the cage. The small figure inside stirred, blankets lifting to reveal a blond with scared hazel eyes. The person within the cage moved in panic, crawling away from the cage door to press against the far bar.

Manx's smile grew. "Hello Yohji, I have good news. It seems the serum we gave you that was meant for Nagi had an interesting side affect."

The little boy shrank back with a whimper.

***

***

Wow this took a very long time; sorry about that but I had to get it just right!  This is an extra long chappy and I think the ones to follow will be long too, they will take a bit longer to come out cause I started school and wont have the same amount of time to write as I did, but I will keep writing cause Phox wont let me stop!

Thanks to Phox and Syberian X for betaing and Horuseye for translating 

Notes for language: 

Schuldich- Americanized name version of Schuldig meaning Guilty. Any time Schu actually says the word Schuldig it will be spell as such, i.e. Schuldich- name; Schuldig- word. Thank make sense?

Japanese- there will be no Japanese words used unless specified someone is speaking in another lang. assume that all dialogue is in Japanese already so there is no point to use a word in Japanese when the person is already speaking it. 

When English is used the action will read 'said in English' and all dialogue will be in English until specified the switch to a new lang. this method is used with ever other lang. spoken. 

If anyone is confused on this email me and I'll explain more.

German: (translations by Horuseye, all notes she made are kept so the full meaning of the word can be understood)

Klappe! -Shut up! -Quiet! ruhig (?) Ruhe! Or Still! Or Sei ruhig! (Be quiet!) Or "Klappe!" (-Shut up!) Klappe translated word by word is 'flap' I think, in this context it stands for the mouth. A bit more aggressive than Ruhe! And in that context it fits better I think.

Das kann einfach nicht wahr sein. (This cannot be true.) Can't be really translated without loosing some of its meaning. This is not happening.

Nagi, wo bist du? Nagi where are you?"

Words in are original lines, () are closets Translation fix

Reviews for Chapter Three: (in order received)

Anushkaja- I'm glad you liked it. Ken wont be seen for several chapters, and this fic dose have a AxK in it and I don't put those in past tense (Manx mentioned an YxO pairing but I have yet to decided if it will remain that way later)

Kat-jen-insane – Happy new year to you too! I hope this chapter answered your questions.

Gamegirl28- glad you liked it.

Heeroduo4eva- (still waiting for my Heero/Duo *wink*) I think the only death in this fic is of bad guys.

SyberianX- well Farfie is 'mommy'….

Starkitsune- well keep reading more….

Genuine_sun- Brad is an ass and he has an ass! Don't worry he gets over it.

Leanie- in chapter 2 Schu explained to Nagi that children are so unpredictable that Brad wouldn't really get a vision from form one; it'd be rare. Nagi is just young enough that Brad would have a 50/50 chance of having a vision about him. As for the rest you are going to have to read and fine out.

Gonyos- *waves back* its gonna live up to its Drama

Horuseye- you help so much! Thanks again for translating for me! I though German was good for an alternative lang. to; saying Japanese while they 'really speak' Japanese is a bit redundant.

Hele- Nagi is still a child and still growing, it's natural that he could get a cold easier then…say…Brad. However the price Nagi pays for his 'gift' (cause truly everyone with a gift loses something) is his immune system is a bit lower then it should. I agree with Yohji; I mean with a certain type of char once they face certain situations they will act a certain way that is OOC. Yohji couldn't afford to be lazy in this case; just like once finding he cant use his gift Schu would feel very unconfident and depressed.

Skeren Dreamera (cool name)- Yohji is a quirk, but now that he's out of the pic- for now- there will be an OC to be quirky.

Female Heero Yuy- I'm confused too; Yohji never had Ken and Omi, he watched the safe house they where held in. I hope this answers your question; if not feel free to email me.

Adrian Vadise- I love Nagi too, he's just too adorable; next chappy he shows his soft side with Aya. Yohji did show loyalty but Schwartz cant try a rescue now cause they have lost strength and Brad is more focused (now) on keeping Schu, Nagi and Aya safe.

Luel E Reinheadt- err…what?? I barely speak English!!

Wildfire2- no, no cure they have to grow up again then Ken can rescue Aya. Aya-chan is not in this fic; Yohji is the sibling for this AU

RavenQuill (the last review before posting) - *wins a huggle* thanks!!!

Reviews for chapter two:

Me and Cocos- I would just like to say the way both of you wrote your reviews was very rude- me you were lesser but you could have conducted yourself better, but thank you for the difference with 'love' translators don't tell differences. Cocos- I don't speak for write German, I thought my sources were correct because they are _suppose to be correct and I thought it would be nice for Schuldig to speak his native tongue. I asked; an Americanized version name Schuldich' is acceptable, but used as a word it will be Schuldig._

But don't worry, I have someone that was nice enough to offer to translate German so all German from now on should be correct will exceptions for regional dialect differences.

Me- to answer your question: a panic button (did I spell it panic in the fic?) is a little device used when looking for a car or to call emergency (on cell phone even when its deactivate 911 emergency can still be called i.e. panic button) in this fic it works much in the same way- Nagi presses a button and it sends a message to a pager Schu and Brad have.

Reviews for chapter one:

Nanatsusaya-san – Aya (in my head) is cuter then the chibi Aya pics; he even still has the ear tails.

Steve V- *jumps up and down clapping* yay you actually like something I wrote!! BTW you need to email me I have a new AIM screen name and I'm not sure if I have yours right.

And something extra:

Since this fic is doing so well, I thought it would be fun to get ever ones fave quotes. If you like a line for part of the fic copy paste it in an email and send it too me under the subject: Fave Quotes PWRA, so I know what kinda stuff everyone likes. And when I'm done with the fic ill post all the quotes collected for anyone to read. Sound like fun?

Also: I'm now posting this fic on MediaMiner.org under the name FafarellosAya (yes that's spelled wrong) go and review!

And: got a new AIM: TogaPrincess349 anyone wants to add me to their AIM feel free, unless it's just to be mean!

*pants* ok I'm done on to the next chappy!!!

A year has passed (Aya is three) and Schuldich has finally regained his gift. An old rival of Crawford's emerges, a child killer even Farfarello thinks is evil. His next target: Aya. But in order to get the toddler he will have to find bait; in his rivals lover.

**Part Two, Chapter Five: Innocence**


	5. Part Two Chapter Five Innocence

Special disclaimer: the thoughts portrayed by the character Strike on children are not viewed by the author. In fact I like children and work with them any though sometimes they are really annoying they don't deserve anything more a loving family. Strike is merely a bad guy that I think is worse then even Farfarello in one of his moods.

**Part Two, Chapter Five: Innocence**

'Money is the _root_ of all evil.' That's what Strike liked to say. 'And so is pleasure and pain.'

The man sat in his car by the playground watching the children at play; waiting for his next victim to catch his attention. Nine so far; all children, between the ages of five and ten. Five was the youngest he could catch, but he yearned for younger. To take a toddler and slowly end its life, now that was poetry. To watch the child try and understand what was happing to it as he took his time torturing the creature.

Oh what it would be like to have a sweet innocent toddler in his hands.

But noooo, parents didn't let ones so little out of their hands or sight. Adults had never been as _rewarding_ to kill as children had. Though he had found a few in the past. Sometimes people didn't care about the creatures they spawned, viewing a child as an expense they couldn't afford. Though Strike avoided those children there had been a few with a natural spirit just waiting to be stripped away by his expert hand.

He had not found one like that in several months.

Watching the park now he didn't feel he would find one soon. These children where of a higher class, they knew not to talk to strangers and often had a loving relative watching their every move. No, a park like this was only good for one thing.

Down the street was an apartment complex that had a floor completely owned by a wealthy investor and his family. In that apartment lived the man, his lover, his two children, and the children's bodyguard. In that apartment lived Schwartz, Strike's rival.

Esset wanted to know what would happen if four assassins raised a child as a normal family. That child was now three; fragile, tiny, and oh so spirited. He was also a beautiful child, meant to one day grow up into a beautiful young man.

Oh how Strike hated Crawford for owning such a child.

Killing such a child would be the glory he had been waiting for all his life. To end a life like that before it even started was pure ecstasy.

But how to get past the damn man and his visions?

Strike smirked as he caught a glimpse of red in his rear view mirror. Carrying a small equally red headed child was Schuldich, the telepath, and lover Crawford had laid claim to. They looked like a pair, father and son; was that how Crawford viewed the two? Strike had to admit Schuldich was quite a sight, beautiful in such a fuck-able way, one of those few adults that caught his attention. He would make the perfect target to distract the others until he had his prize.

Yes, he would do nicely.

Three year old Aya Crawford stood just inside his bedroom doorway contemplating who to go to. A tiny stuffed bear clutched tightly to his small thin chest as the boy looked between one door way and another.

To his right was 'mommy', the Irishman Nagi called mother when he was in a bad mood. Farfie took care of him a lot, but the child was unsure if this situation was the type the man could help with. Not while he was still recovering from getting a new eye.

Next to his room was his brother's room; and although Aya longed to go and curl up with Nagi, he also knew that Nagi had school in the morning and Daddy always said school was important.

This led him to the other door to his left, further down the hall. That's where Daddy and Schu slept. Uncle Schuldich didn't sleep very well any more and had nightmares a lot before he and Daddy had gotten 'married', so now Schu was his daddy also, which made his head hurt trying to figure out. Schu still didn't sleep very well and Daddy got grumpy when _he_ didn't sleep well.

This left him still standing in the hallway trying to figure out whom to go to.

One of the doors opened and a red haired man looked out into the hallway and the little boy standing in it. Quickly Schuldich closed the bedroom door behind him and padded softly to where Aya stood, kneeling down in front of the child.

"What are you doing awake baby?" the German asked quietly brushing away the child's tears.

"Mon'un'beh." Aya cried softly. Though it wasn't a monster per say, the child couldn't shake the feel of something 'slimy' below him- last time he had a feeling like it, he had nearly been bitten by a rabid dog.

Schuldich frowned. "Under the bed? Or below you?" he asked knowing full well the range of Aya's Empathy, its strength, and the real reasons for the metal piece attached to the child's neck. When Aya said there was a monster around he usually meant it in a bad guy sense, which made his Empathy go haywire, which raised his temperature, which was monitored by the rectangular device grafted into his skin just about the jugular. This set off an alarm, which meant they would have to give Aya a dose used to dampen the gift the child would have to take for the rest of his life.

Damn Kritiker.

"'Low." Aya said, watching Schuldich with wide eyes. He knew what was coming.

The adult redhead sighed. "Come on lets check." He said tilting the child's head to the side. The temp reading was still normal which meant the feeling was from quite a distance away. "Normal, do you wanna go back to bed?"

Aya shook his head, tiny ear tails fluttering. "No' lone!"

Schuldich shook his head and kissed the child lightly, then picked him up. "Ok, kitten." He said and quietly walked into Nagi's room.

The sixteen year old woke automatically when Schuldich lowered the tiny child onto the bed with him and took Aya gently into his arms cuddling the child carefully. "Nightmare?" he asked still half asleep.

Schuldich shook his head. "Empathy, temp still normal, he's just doesn't want to be alone and Brad has a big meeting with Esset tomorrow."

Nagi nodded, "I don't have school till noon tomorrow, and I can afford to sleep in a bit."

"Good, now go to sleep." Schuldich said rearranging the blankets then silently left the room.

At five am the entire household was woken by a child's scream. Three adults jumped out of bed and ran into Nagi's room where the teen was holding Aya tightly against his chest as he reached for the pressure needle.

"103°," Nagi informed them moved Aya's head to the side to put the tip of the needle into the opening on the temperature reader made just for that reason. Depressing the trigger Aya's cries raised in volume for a moment then died down until the child was only sobbing.

"This is the forth night this week." Crawford muttered taking the child into his arms. "He's never had this bad of a reaction to strong emotions before."

"I think that's because this emotion is directed at him." Nagi said quietly knowing he would be grounded for not saying this sooner.

Crawford levered a glare on the teen. "You're grounded, now spill."

Nagi didn't bother trying to arguer the punishment, even for show, "When I was at the park yesterday, I noticed this guy sitting on a bench staring at us; he never took his eyes off of us once. It was creepy. That's why I came home early."

"Come to think of it I had the feeling of being watched two day's ago; I brushed it off since I sometimes get that feeling when in public." Schuldich said sitting on the bed next to the teen. "What did the guy look like?"

"Like a pervert," Nagi answered sarcastically, but shivered. "White hair, but not an old grandfather. He made me feel like he wanted to snatch me to be his new toy. But he looked at Aya as if he's get off just by killing him."

"Strike." Crawford muttered. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I'd never be allowed out of the house!" Nagi answered slapping his hands against the bed covers. He liked being Crawford and Schuldich's son, but really, they could lighten up a little, Kritiker wasn't stupid enough to kidnap him again!

"Who's Strike?" Schuldich asked bringing the conversation back to the important part.

"A sadistic son of a bitch." Farfarello answered in disgust. "He's known for killing children, the younger the better; and he hates Brad. A lot." The last bit said suppressing a yawn. Carefully he took off the temporary eye patch and blinked slowly one yellow eye and one sea green eye.

Crawford stared at the younger man, "You're going to get the other one changed right?" he asked in morbid curiosity, "Or do you want to look like that one anime?"

Farfarello started to grin then saw the fearful look Aya was giving him. "Yes, I'm getting the other one changed." He said with a sigh. "Can I go back to bed yet?"

"You're sleeping in here." Brad informed him. He looked between Nagi and Schuldich. "You two will not leave this house, for anything; Farfarello will open the door if someone knocks. No one is to take Aya outside. Am I clear?"

"Yes," Schuldich said reluctantly.

Nagi wasn't about to mind that order. "I had school tomorrow!" he protested, "And I like this school! I have friends there for once!"

Crawford frowned at the teen, "I know how important it is for you to be normal and have friends outside this family; but is it really worth your safety?"

Nagi sighed. "No father," he said remembering the last time he put himself on danger.

"Tell you what," Brad said. "Tomorrow you may call one of your friends that you trust and he can spend the night."

"Really?" Nagi asked not waning to get his hopes up.

"Really," Brad assured the teen. "I'll call the school tomorrow, give them an excuse and you can call one of your friends in the morning and ask."

Nagi jumped out of bed and wrapped his arms around Crawford's middle. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Brad smile. "Don't make me regret this." He warned, but returned the hug with his free hand. When Nagi let go he handed suck-thumb!-Aya to the teen. "Now go back to bed."

Nagi grinned and slipped back into bed laying Aya between himself and Farfarello, already lying on the bed. The not-so-psycho psychopath wrapped an arm around the toddler and shut his eyes. Once Crawford and Schuldich were gone and the bedroom door shut Nagi snatched up his bedside phone and quickly dialed a number.

"Hey, it's me! Guess what?"

Nagi lay sprawled across his bed reading a text book when he heard the door bell ring. Closing the book he scrambled off of the book and hurried down the hall. Farfarello stood at the door questioning a teenager suspiciously.

"Farfie, he's ok." The teen assured the older man pushing Farfarello to the side to let the other teen inside. "Jareru, glad you could come." He said cheerfully shutting the door.

"Mom and dad were going out of town anyway." Jareru said with a shrug. "I hope your dad doesn't mind my staying a few nights."

"He will," Farfarello muttered then scrambled into the kitchen before Aya dropped a knife on his head by pulling a rag.

"Don't mind him." Nagi said rubbing the back of his neck. "He's really paranoid when it comes to me and my baby brother."

Jareru raised an eyebrow with a slight smile. "Why?" he asked watching the blond chase the blood redheaded toddler.

Nagi took the other teens hand in his and led him to his bedroom. Once the door was closed the boy leaned against it regarding the other quietly. "Before I transferred to our school I was kidnapped right from the school grounds. I was locked in a cage for I don't know how long. My family risked a lot to save me; my uncle is still recovering, and my older brother was lost."

Jareru nodded.

"And to top it off Aya was in the hospital fighting something he'll never recover from." Nagi continued.

The other teen raised an eyebrow. "He looked like a normal little kid to me."

Nagi smiled. "How old does he look?"

Jareru shrugged. "Maybe one and a half?"

"He's three," Nagi said putting his hands behind his back carefully. "He's just really small. He has this condition where he can't regulate his core temperature; so every few hours or so his temperature rises and keeps rising. He had this implant that monitors his temp; it's right on his neck like he's a little android or something."

"He's cute." Jareru said stepping closer until Nagi could feel hot breath on his lips. "But you're cuter." He continued and pressed his lips against Nagi's.

The blue eyed teen closed his eyes, reaching out a hand to lightly rest on Jareru's chest for balance and slid the other through the other teen's hair. The kiss deepened, tongues twinned together passionately. They had been secretly seeing each other since Nagi transferred to the private high school Aya would eventually go to. Security was tight; no one left the school early without an authorized person to pick the student up from the school. Nagi hadn't minded the all boy's school at all, especially when he met Jareru.

Mercifully Schuldich hadn't found out now that he was back to full power again. Though the man got tired easily and had insomnia, picking out the fact Nagi had a boyfriend when he wasn't actually allowed to date wouldn't be that difficult.

As if on cue said telepath knocked on the door in the pattern only he used.

Both teens jumped apart breathing hard. Nagi blinked several times and smoothed down his clothing then opened the door to the smirking telepath.

Schuldich looked between the two teens. "I won't tell your father you used his generosity to sneak in your boyfriend, if you keep Aya occupied while we clean the kitchen."

Nagi's eyes widened, "He isn't hurt is he?"

Schuldich shook his head. "Near miss, just a little cut on his cheek. He cried, Farfarello panicked, I laughed."

The teenager snorted as Farfarello carried a teary eyes toddler into his room, a small Pochacco bandage on his cheek. Nagi looked closely at the bandage and carefully peeled it back. Turning a glare on the adults he shut the door in their faces and locked the door.

"Can you say chaperone?" he asked the toddler as he gently took off the bandage and caressed the unmarred flesh. Aya blinked at him and put his thumb in his mouth, Nagi smiled. "Guess not."

"Are you sure he's three?" Jareru asked teasingly reaching out to tickle Aya under the chin.

"Yes," Nagi said and sat Aya on the floor near the shelf that housed some of the toddler's toys. "He's the only one not out to ruin my social life. It's not like we were going to do anything anyway."

"Personally I like being able to breath." Jareru said and kissed Nagi on the cheek. "You have a TV, want to watch a movie?"

"It has to be PG or G rated; dad would kill me if I watched something higher rated with Aya in the room."

Jareru nodded tugging Nagi's hand to lay on the bed with him. "We could watch one of those black and whites you love so much."

Nagi turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until he found an American channel that so happened to be running a marathon of black and white detective movies. Resting his head on his boyfriend chest he glanced at Aya who was happily playing with blocks. Smiling to himself he returned his focus to the movie.

Several hours later Crawford unlocked the door with a spare key and looked in to find both teenagers asleep and Aya sitting on the foot of the bed, remote in hand, watching Sponge Bob. Brad smiled at the pair; if only Nagi trusted him enough to tell him he wanted to date….it wasn't like he would be ashamed of the boy wanting to date another male, as long as the male wasn't over the age of eighteen.

Shaking his head he walked into the room and shook the boys awake. Nagi looked scared at being caught, but Crawford just smiled. "I brought dinner, if you boys are interested." He said and picked Aya up, tickling the child just to hear him laugh walked out of the room.

Dinner was mostly uneventful. Crawford questioned Jareru like any normal parent would and found out how long he and Nagi had been secretly seeing each other. Schuldich silently questioned Nagi and passed along to Crawford that the two merely wanted to spend time with each other and while they would be sleeping in the same bed, they had no plans for sex. Farfarello already knew all this having over heard Nagi that morning, and he still didn't trust Jareru's intentions; there was just something off about the teen.

After dinner Nagi gave Aya his bath sitting in the tub in his underwear to keep the child in the tub. Schuldich did this frequently, sometimes even when he showered; so much so Aya refused to take his bath without someone in the tub with him. He even climbed in while someone bathed themselves.

Nagi lathered Aya's baby fine locks playing with the hair that hadn't been changed since he was an adult turned child. Aya splashed the water with a rubber duck making noises as if the toy was a boat.

"Close your eyes Aya." He told the child picking up the shower spray. Aya squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head back. Nagi sprayed the water from the child's forehead back. Once done he wet down and washed his own hair.

He let Aya play for a while longer leaning back in the water and stretching out his legs around the toddler until only his head was above the shallow water. Aya splashed around then crawled into Nagi's lap and kissed him.

"What was that for?" the teen asked with a light smirk.

"Lowve you Nayi." Aya said happily putting his hands on Nagi's face.

Nagi removed the toddler's hands and kissed him on the cheek, "Love you too Aya." He said and carefully stood holding Aya against his chest. Stepping out of the tub he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around the child. Setting him down Nagi took off his soaked boxers and wrapped his bathrobe around his body. Kneeling down he dried Aya than ran the towel over the child's hair until it was a fluffy mess. Laughing quietly he helped the toddler into his pajamas then took a soft brush to the child's hair until it was tame again.

"Nayi, why he here?" Aya suddenly asked pointed toward the door, Nagi looked; standing in the door way was Jareru holding a small pile of clothes, a light blush on his face.

"Your father asked me to bring this to you." Jareru said quietly placing the clothes on the closed toilet seat.

Nagi nodded. "Can you take him while I get dressed?"

"Sure," Jareru said and gently lifted Aya into his arms. "I'll be in your room."

Nagi gently closed the door behind his boyfriend and slipped into the silk pajama bottoms that road low on his bony hips and the tight fitting tee-shirt. 'If I didn't know better,' he thought rubbing a hand against the expanse of belly still visible at his midriff. 'I would think dad was giving me permission.'

Shit happens. Schuldich said slipping easily into his mind. Don't purposely try; but if it happens check your bedside drawer. I know hormones are hard to keep controlled at your age

The teen groaned. [You know if I do give into temptation, it will be your entire fault for putting the thought in my head. And I'll be sure to tell dad that too.]

Schuldich snickered. Poor little Nagikins might lose his virginity, afraid you'll lose your innocence?

Nagi narrowed his eyes. [At least I would lose it before you did Schuschu.] He replied sweetly and gently pushed the telepath out of his mind and put up his shields. Satisfied he had gotten the last word in the teen picked up the brush he had used on Aya and left the bathroom.

What he found when he entered his room was not what he was expecting. Aya and Jareru were on the bed, the toddler in the teens lap. Aya whimpered softly as Jareru tilted his head to the side and depressed a dose of the suppressant into the child.

"What are you doing?" Nagi demanded in near panic; had Jareru betrayed him that easily? No, there had to be an explanation!

Jareru set down the pressure needle on the bed and looked at Nagi. "His temperature spiked." He explained. "The needle is the same one I use; I thought it would be best not to wait for you to come back."

Nagi walked over to the bed and checked the monitor. The gage read over 100° and lowering. "Dads going to kill me for letting you do that, but you had the right idea."

Jareru shrugged, "I like children too much to let one suffer."

Nagi smiled at that and brushed some hair out of Aya's face. The child looked up at him drowsily and put his thumb in his mouth. Nagi held out his hands to the toddler waiting for Aya to crawl to him then turned the child to face away from him and started to brush his hair.

Jareru sat back to watch the brothers share in the ritual with a content smile on his face. Aya played with the leg of Nagi's pajamas while Nagi repositioned the toddler's head every once in a while. The two where absolutely adorable, comfortable with their family and well loved. Yet there was some slight air of sadness about the teen every time he looked at his younger sibling.

Looking at the bedside table Jareru picked up one of the photos with the three adults, Nagi, Aya, and a blond man. "Who's this?" he asked curiously

Nagi stopped brushing, much to the toddlers protest. "That's Yohji," the teen said sadly. "My older brother; he was lost trying to save me."

Jareru raised an eyebrow, "He doesn't look very much like you."

Nagi shook his head reciting the story they had made for explaining family ties. "He's my half brother." He said. "We share the same father, different mothers. Aya is Crawford's son, he married Yohji's mom, my mother died when I was born, and my father took me in. When he died his wife let me stay and when she died having Aya, Crawford adopted Yohji and me." He thought back to make sure that was all right. "Yohji is the only real thing that ties us all together, unless you count Uncle Schu, but he's only related to Yohji and Aya."

Jareru nodded, he didn't believe it but was willing to accept it. "What about Farfarello?"

Nagi grinned and started brushing the toddler's hair again. "Mom," he said with a chuckle, "He's been taking care of Aya and me since before I can remember. He's just always been here."

The other teen smiled, 'there's the flaw in your story,' he though but said. "What's up with his eyes?"

Like clock work 3 am woke everyone in the household with Aya's screams. However this time they weren't cries of fever, they were cries of terror.

Brad ran out of his bedroom a revolver in his hand only stopping long enough to lock Jareru and Nagi in the teen's room. Farfarello met him in the child's room looking around for where Aya was hiding. He was still in the room that much was evident by the sound of his sobs. The window at the far end of room was open to the cool night air of late winter, the curtain flapping eerily by a breeze. Farfarello knelt down by the bed and lay down carefully to slip underneath where Aya was currently hiding. Crawford went to the window gun pointed out and checked the fire escape and alley below.

"It's clear." Brad said slamming the window shut and made sure it was locked.

The Irishmen slid out from under the bed again staying on the floor in the line of sight of the child still hiding. "He's not going to come out, whatever it was really scared him."

Brad sighed and lay flat on his stomach to look under the bed himself. Aya sat in the far corner quietly stared at both adults. He was just small enough to sit up under the high bed made especially so the other four members of the house could slide under the bed to retrieve the toddler, for he had a habit of hiding under it for one reason or another.

Aya was not coming out anytime soon.

"Watch him," Brad said and got up going to unlock Nagi's door then his own where he had locked Schuldich inside. Neither looked happy about that. "Nagi, go make a bottle, Aya's under the bed again."

Nagi spared Brad a glare and walked away to do as told, Jareru following close behind.

"What happened?" Schuldich demanded still irritated.

"Best I can tell…someone tried to take Aya. The window was jimmied open." Brad said rubbing a hand over his face. "Strike is the likely candidate; he would snatch a child from its room."

Schuldich sighed and leaned against a wall. "Now what do we do?" he asked tiredly. "He slipped right past our sensors and senses. If we can't detect him then he can slip in and out and we'd never know."

"Aya'd know." Crawford said. "Unless he can somehow mask his emotions."

"Even if he did, an Empath would still sense the void and would therefore know someone was there." Jareru said standing just inside the hallway.

Crawford and Schuldich turned to look at the teen. "How do you know that?" Crawford asked.

"I'm an Empath," Jareru answered, "Everyone is an Empath at one level or another. Few can actually do something with it. It can't be trained except at a certain level and shielding is very hard."

"So you know someone was here?" Crawford asked angered.

Jareru shook his head. "I'm shielded and I was sleep. Aya isn't, he's also a higher level then I am. His range is about two square miles; mine is only one. Though I'm not sure why that plays havoc with his temperature."

"And you just now decided to tell us?" Schuldich asked with a slight smirk.

The teen shrugged. "It never came up. I do know what everyone's gifts are; and that you are all assassins, but that's beside the point."

Brad narrowed his eyes. Jareru had the expression of one that knew a lot and didn't give a damn about anything. The teen had probably been sitting on the information for months and had shrugged it off as nothing.

"Can you shield him" Crawford asked with a sigh.

Jareru thought about it for a moment. "Not at the moment; maybe in a few days and even then I'd have to see him about once a day until he can hold the shields himself. Truthfully, Aya shouldn't have a gift so strong at this age and he should have natural shields. So either he's exceptionally strong and will die in the next few years or you explain who he really is."

Crawford feint ignorance. "I don't know what you mean."

Jareru snorted. "Right," he said sarcastically. "And I'm Merlyn."

Crawford and Schuldich exchanged looks. "No," Brad finally said and walked back into Aya's room.

Nagi walked into the hall carrying a heated bottle, he stopped looking between his boyfriend and Schuldich. "What happened?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Did you know your boyfriend is an Empath?" Schuldich asked.

Nagi nodded.

"And do you know he knows about us?" the telepath continued.

"I didn't tell him anything!" the teen said quickly.

"I didn't say you did." Schuldich said, "I asked if you know he knows about us."

Nagi looked at the ground. "Yes," he said meekly.

Schuldich sighed. "Nagi why didn't you tell us?"

"Well, what am I suppose to say?'Hi dad school was boring today. Oh by the way I have a boyfriend, who happens to be an Empath as strong as Aya, and did I mention he knows everything about us just by looking at me?' Are you nuts? He'd be dead in two seconds flat!"

"Did you ever think he could be the enemy?" Schuldich asked logically.

Nagi looked at Jareru. "Dad said I could only invite someone I trust. If I didn't trust him I wouldn't have invited him, let alone date him. I trust him Schu, Jareru isn't the enemy he's my boyfriend that I don't have to hide things to or lie to. He's the best boyfriend I could ask for."

Schuldich through up his hands in defeat. "Jugendliche!" he exclaimed in exasperation and walked back to his room shutting the door behind him.

Nagi giggled. "One down."

"I don't think your father likes me." Jareru said running a hand through his hair.

"He doesn't like anyone, don't worry about it." Nagi said kissing his boyfriend lightly and dragged the other teen into the bedroom.

Crawford and Farfarello were waiting for them stationed at places where they could guard the toddler still hiding under the bed.

"Here hold this." Nagi said handing the bottle to Jareru then slipped under the bed.

Aya was curled up in the farthest corner of the bed his little body tucked close making him impossible to grab unless the person was thin enough to fit. Farfarello could do it, but Crawford and Schuldich had a tight fit though they were thin. Nagi was smaller then all three of them, he had no problem crawling under the bed and fish out one small child.

"Aya-chan." Nagi said softly knowing he couldn't be seen as well in the dimness. "Aya-chan, its safe now, you can come out."

"No…" the toddler whined curling up tighter."Bah man."

"I know baby, bad man gone now." The teen assured the child, "Daddy and Farfie are here to protect you."

"No…" Aya moaned again sobbing loudly.

Nagi looked confused and reached out to touch the child gently. Aya cried out and started crying in earnest.

Nagi retracted his hand and called out. "Jareru open the window and _look_ out!"

Jareru did as told and dropped his shields. Immediately he felt a wealth of emotion as his senses probed out searching for that one negative feeling aimed at the apartment. As soon as he pin pointed it the squeal of tires could be heard and the source moved away.

"That's not good." He muttered shutting the window again.

"What?" Crawford, Farfarello, and Nagi demanded.

Jareru blinked. "Well, he shouldn't have been able to sense me looking for him, which tells me that there's more then one and one of them has a gift."

"Dammit!" Brad swore and pointed at the teenager. "You will not leave this house until all of this is dealt with. You are now a target to him and he won't hesitate to use you to get what he wants."

Jareru nodded. "Will not be leaving, got it." He agreed as Nagi finally coaxed Aya out from under the bed. The toddler immediately jumping into the teen Empath's arms and got comfortable; there was a flash of hurt in Nagi's eyes until Aya reached out and snatched the bottle sucking on it hungrily. Jareru smirked at the child. "You just want me 'cause I have the food."

Aya stared at him with big violet eyes sucking away happily. Jareru rolled his eyes again and checked the temp reader; then shifted the child in his arms.

"Why don't you two go back to bed?" Crawford said, "Farfarello can stay with Aya."

Nagi nodded silently followed his boyfriend in to his bedroom after Jareru handed Aya to Farfarello. He wasn't jealous, but couldn't help but feel hurt that Aya had gone to a stranger instead of his own brother.

The Empath sensed the insecurity from his boyfriend and the reasons behind that insecurity. Once the door was closed he took the smaller teen in his arms. "Hey, every thing's ok Nagi." He said gently. "He was only reacting to the situation, not to you."

"Then why did he go to you?" Nagi whispered holding Jareru tightly as he let his uncertainty show.

Jareru let him go and sat the telekinetic on the bed. "When you tried to comfort him he was still feeling that guy; he wasn't feeling you, he had no idea you where there. He only knew _someone_ touched him. He was calmer when you got him out, but still needed that extra security." He blushed a little. "To tell the truth earlier with his temp rising; that was kinda my fault. When I was holding him I put him under my shields and the sudden 'silence' made him panic, cause he couldn't feel _you_. He needed that silence just now. Plus I had the food; all that hiding made him hungry."

Nagi couldn't help it; he started laughing- loudly.

The Empathic teen smiled slightly and kissed Nagi's forehead. "But really, I'll never replaced you to your little brother. I might not know the full story, but I do know Aya loves you very much and couldn't be with better people to protect and love him."

Nagi smiled sleepily and leaned his head on Jareru's shoulder. "I love you." He confessed softly.

Jareru held the teen close. "I know," he said then whispered in Nagi's ear. "I love you too."

Schuldich paced.

One…two…three

Turn

Four…five…six

Turn

Repeat.

To the front door, through the living room, to the kitchen, and back again.

He felt like a caged animal catching glimpses of Nagi and Jareru trying not to stare at him as the helped Aya play with his breakfast. Farfarello sat on the kitchen counter knees tucked under his chin openly watching the telepath as if daring him to bolt just so he had something to do.

Crawford sat in his favorite arm chair reading the paper. He didn't look at the young man as he passed back and fourth even when he passed close enough and Brad's hand shot out and pulled his lover into his lap setting his paper aside.

"Restless?" he asked the redhead wrapping his arms around Schuldich their foreheads touching.

"I want to go outside." Schuldich complained curling close to his lover. "I miss fresh air."

"Well if you wouldn't smile…" Nagi said absently wiping up the crumbs from the muffin Aya was eating and lifted the child out of the high chair. Schuldich blew a raspberry at him childishly. Nagi rolled his eyes. "Real mature Schuschu, your not younger then Aya."

Aya blew a raspberry at the teen, giggled and ran out of the kitchen down the hall, Farfarello followed close behind.

Nagi shook his head. "You're a bad influence on him." He said and stuck out his tongue.

Schuldich chased the teen out of the kitchen, down the hall, into his bedroom, tackled him to the bed and tickled him senseless. Nagi shrieked and laughed trying to cover his ticklish spots only to be attacked in a new spot. Once the boy was completely breathless Schuldich settled behind him and held the teen close, eyes closed, intent on taking a nap.

"Schu?" Nagi asked once he had caught his breath.

"Hm?" Schuldich asked tightening his hold on the teen.

"Is Aya tickling my foot?" Nagi asked not having the straight to look himself.

Schuldich looked at the foot of the bed, Aya smiled cutely at him. "Yes," he answered and stuck out his foot to poke the child with his big toe. The toddler giggled and scurried out of the room pulling the door closed behind him.

Farfie, go chase Aya around for a while so he takes his nap today, Schuldich sent drowsily even as Nagi squirmed.

"Schu, let go." The teen complained. "Jareru'll think I'm ignoring him!"

"He's an Empath," Schuldich pointed out. "Now go to sleep, you need a nap."

"Do not." Nagi protested weakly already drifting off with a little help for Schuldich. "Schu…"

"Hum?" the telepath asked tightening his hold on the teen.

"Dose dad not like Jareru?" Nagi asked turning to lay his head on Schu's chest.

Schuldich sighed. "He's still deciding of he can trust him or not." He said quietly. "It's a bit to convenient that a powerful Empath comes when we need one to help Aya. Or that he knows about us is completely un-phased, while we know nothing about him."

"By that logic wasn't it a bit odd how you conveniently found Aya on the street and not someone else?" Nagi countered.

"And you saw how long it took for him to stop acting like a jackass with him." Schuldich said. "Now go to sleep before I put you sleep."

"Meanie." Nagi yawned curling tighter against his 'uncle/father' and drifted off to sleep.

Schuldich waited until he was sure Nagi wouldn't wake and slipped out of the bed, then quietly went out the bedroom window to the fire escape. Taking a deep breath he let the fresh air fill his lungs and exhaled slowly. Never had he thought a week cooped up inside would be so…so…Claustrophobic. He missed fresh air and envied that Crawford went out into it every day.

It had been a week since Strike had tried to take Aya right from his room and nothing had happened in all that time. It was nerve racking being held captive by the thought the man was still out there. Yet here he was forced to sneak out onto the fire escape just to get some 'outside' time. Sometimes living under the rules of an anal retentive male really sucked, especially when said male hardly made exception to those rules nor allowed anyone else to make the house rules.

In fact, if Brad found him out here Schuldich would be in a lot of trouble. Hence letting the man believe Schuldich was making Nagi sleep for a few more hours and tries to catch some sleep himself. It wasn't fully a lie; he just wanted some fresh air first.

A flash of something caught in his peripheral vision making him just as a stray leaf brushed past his face. Shaking off a shiver Schuldich looked around then shook him head turning to go back inside. Movement caught his attention again, when he looked this time he saw a man standing at the mouth of the ally. Strike stared at the German giving him the universal sign of 'I want you and I will have you' then turned and walked away, vanishing from sight.

Schuldich quickly slipped back inside, shut and locked the window. When he turned he jumped once more; Nagi was still sleeping on the bed, Crawford was leaning against the wall. He didn't look happy, but his expression softened when he saw the frightened look on his lovers face.

"Schu?" he whispered as not to wake the teen.

Schuldich shook his head slightly and dove into Crawford's arms burring his face in the mans chest. "I'm sorry," he said softly, "I didn't know, there wasn't anything before, I didn't know."

Crawford held the man close knowing exactly what had scared Schuldich. Strike was biding his time until they let their guard down, then he would slowly pick then off one by one until there was no one left to protect Aya.

Someone was shielding against Strike making him impossible to locate or to envision his next move. Not even Jareru could feel the man sometimes nor could Aya after it was suggested to give the toddler a dose of the serum right before he went to sleep and Jareru put a light shield over him as a double guard. The fits the child had at night had gone away, but the fear of Strike's next move was still there.

Underneath all of that was the cabin fever that was starting to affect all of them. They were mostly short of temper though hid it well using diversions like sleep and play to make it all bearable.

"Tell me everything you saw." Crawford said quietly leading Schuldich out of Nagi's room and into theirs.

"I just wanted some fresh air; I figured the fire escape would be safe enough." Schuldich said sagging down on the bed. "It wasn't until I turned to go back inside that I noticed he was watching me. He pointed at me with that 'I want you in a bad way.' Look and walked away. It was a warning I know it."

Brad sat down on the bed next to his lover and husband. "He wants Aya; because he is the perfect kill. He doesn't care about the rest of us except as an obstacle in his way. As much as Aya was tainted as an adult, he is innocent as a child; Strike could never resist such a find in human life or else he would have gone on to another target." He sighed. "Strike wants you for another reason. He hates me for reasons I don't remember. He would do anything to see me suffer, and I would suffer greatly if I lost you."

Schuldich leaned against Brad shutting his eyes; he never thought about it that way.

A light tapping sounded at the door and opened at Crawford's summons. Jareru cautiously walked into the room pale as a sheet holding a slip of paper. "Uh…I found this in my backpack."

Crawford took the paper and read it over:

_'Try all you want little boy,_

_I will have him, and all your searching_

_And shielding cant save him._

_His innocence is mine.'_

Brad crumpled the paper with a deep sigh. "This is ridicules." He said in annoyance. "Go wake up Nagi and move Aya's car seat to your car, we are going out!"

"Out?" Schuldich repeated. "Out where?"

"I don't care," Crawford said walking out of the room to Aya's. "To the park maybe, the zoo, the parking lot, the other side of the world? Outside!"

The telepath lightly placed a hand on his lover's mouth. "Shh, look." He said softly nodded toward Aya's bed. The toddler was lying on his stomach, thumb in mouth, fast asleep. Farfarello lay on the bed as well, on his stomach watching Aya sleep paying close attention on the child's breathing. A quick 'look' in Nagi's room told the telepath the teen was still asleep, and Jareru was fast in following. "The kids are asleep my love, don't you think we should do much the same?"

Brad sighed and swept Schuldich into his arms carrying his lover to their bedroom and laid them both on the bed. "I thought you wanted to go outside." He whispered in Schuldich's ear.

"Let them rest." Schuldich whispered back snuggling close.

Brad let him, and sighed to himself holding his husband close. He had the sinking feeling this was simply the calm before the storm.

Sometime in the afternoon Schuldich was woken to the feeling of the wards rippling. He sat up searching for where it was coming from; he could sense Jareru getting up and heading toward Aya's room just before the child started to cry. The wards rippled again then there was the sound of a window shattering waking everyone else in the house. Crawford was up in seconds taking out his gun from where ever he his it only sparing Schuldich a look telling him to stay put.

Then everything went silent. Literally.

Schuldich blinked several time before he realized why exactly he wasn't hearing anything. "Verdammit!" the German cursed running out of the bedroom and down the hall.

Everyone else was occupied in the living room fending off their attackers, except Jareru who was busy with Aya and Nagi who was defending both of them. Or at least he would have as long as someone or something hadn't of blocked their gifts.

The three of them were in Aya's room with Strike, Nagi had jumped on the man's back serving as a distraction as Jareru tried to open the window while holding his backpack and a distraught child.

"Move," Schuldich said dodging past the man and teenager to the window pushing Jareru out of the way long enough to unlock and open the window. Grabbing the teens arm he helped Jareru out into the fire escape. "Do you have everything Aya needs?"

The teen nodded, "In my bag."

"Don't come back," the German ordered and slammed the window shut.

"What do you mean don't come back?" Jareru shouted at the closed window.

"We'll find you!" Schuldich's muffled voice said though the glass. "Get out of here."

Jareru nodded to his reflection and all but flew down the fire escape to the alley below, Aya clutched tightly to his chest. He made it to the park before he felt his senses return to full awareness; Aya, who had not felt the affect of the dampening another psychic had caused, merely watched the teen in silent confusion as Jareru stopped long enough to catch his breath.

"Dayi?" Aya questioned looking back in the direction of home. He understood why he was with Jareru; the bed man had come and they needed to get away because the bed man wanted both of them. What he wanted to know was why wasn't daddy with them to make sure they were safe.

"Its ok baby, daddy and Nagi will find us when it's safe." Jareru assured the child and took out a hat from his backpack using it to hide the toddler's very noticeable hair. "The bad man will be looking for us so I need you to be a good boy so we can stay away from him."

Aya nodded his agreement; anything to stay away from the bad man.

"Alright, let's go then." He said shouldering his backpack and picked up the child settling a shield over both of them. Schuldich might have promised him they would find the two later, but Jareru wasn't about to be found until he wanted to be.

Even if that meant a really long time on the street.

"Jari?" the toddler asked looking in the window of a bakery longingly.

"We can't afford it Aya." Jareru said without even looking at the displayed confection tugging on the child's hand to get him moving again.

After a few days on the streets they couldn't afford anything, Jareru just didn't have that much money to begin with and trying to get more was too dangerous.

"I hungy," Jareru answered softly hurrying his pace at the looks people were giving the dirty teenager and equally dirty toddler. He was tired and just as hungry as Aya was, it was starting to affect his shields letting people notice the two were they would have normally ignored them. Soon enough the Shields would fail all together and then it would be all over.

It could be over sooner anyway. He was pretty sure a policeman was following them, he was defiantly sure the very people he didn't want finding them where following as well.

Jareru kept walking dragging the toddler behind him.

They needed to find a safe place to hide for a while before they both dropped from lack of energy. Turning down an alleyway he cut through a small enclosure to get to another part of the city.

And ran right into a solid mass of muscle.

Backing up several steps he looked up at the sneering white haired man and felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. Staggering back another step he barely dodged the hand that reached out to grab his arm. Acting on instinct Jareru reached into his pocket and pulled out a narrow bottle spraying its contents in Strike's face. The man hissed in pain as mace was sprayed into his eyes whipping at his face as he was momentarily blind. But that wasn't enough to give them time to get very far away. Shifting to keep his balance Jareru kicked the man in the face, and then turned to the child.

"Aya run!" the teen ordered kicking the man between the legs and staggered as another wave of dizziness hit him and he felt his shields collapse making him suddenly very nauseous from the sudden onslaught of emotion filling his senses. Fighting the urge to be sick Jareru kicked Strike again for good measure and stumbled away as quickly as his stomach would allow.

The next time he ran into someone they had arms wrapped around him before he could get away. He panicked for a moment until he realized the person had what felt like shields around him and the person was comfortably familiar. Blinking until his eyes cleared he found himself face to face with Nagi, the teen had a slightly unfocused look on his face but other wise looked happy to see his boyfriend.

Closing his eyes Jareru slumped in the safety of his boyfriend's arms in a dead faint.

Nagi closed off the last box of books and labeled the cardboard before pushing it to the side wall with the rest of his things. The room felt empty without objects scattered about taking away the lived in feeling and added to the knowledge this was no longer his home.

Aya had already been shipped off to the new safe house with Farfarello and Schuldich leaving Crawford and Nagi to take care of the remaining move. Tomorrow Esset movers would come, pack everything and move it to the new safe house.

Fidgeting with his zip-up sweat jacket he checked his watch and sighed. Jareru promised he would be here so he would know where the new safe house was, he promised they would go out tonight, yet it was almost sun down and he still wasn't here.

"Nagi? What do you want for dinner?" Crawford asked walking into the empty bedroom drying his hands with a kitchen towel.

Nagi felt tears prickle at his eyes. "He's not coming." The boy said in answer a single tear escaping from his eyes. "He hasn't called, he hates me!"

"Nagi," Crawford said calmly flicking the towel onto his shoulder going to the boy and wrapped strong arms around him allowing Nagi to cry on his shoulder. "He doesn't hate you. Maybe something happened?"

"But he would have called!" Nagi cried.

"Not if he couldn't." Crawford pointed out.

They stood like that for a moment before either noticed the light tapping on the window in an oddly familiar rhythm. Crawford looked up at the window to find Jareru sitting on the fire escape tapping on the glass with a finger, he looked troubled. Nudging the teen in his arms lightly he turned until Jareru was in Nagi's line of sight then let him go as the boy ran to the window quickly opening it.

"Jareru! I was so afraid you wouldn't come!" Nagi said diving into the other brunette's arms still crying softly.

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you love," Jareru assured the boy a bit sadly. "But I need to talk to you."

Nagi lifted his head noticing Crawford slipping out of the room and closing the door. "What do you mean?" he asked dreading what was to come.

Jareru nodded toward the bed and sat down next to the teen facing him with his own tears. "My parents found out, about us." He started slowly, "Then they found out what happened last week. They were going to be ok with everything Nagi, but not after what happened with Strike. They have forbidden me to see you again and we're moving to Osaka so my parents can pick someone more worthy for me."

"What?" Nagi said in disbelief. "But you said you love me!"

"I do love you." Jareru said brokenheartedly, "But I'm only fifteen, I have to do what they say. Hell I snuck out just to see you, that isn't going to help my case any!" he signed kissing Nagi on the forehead. "I'll find away to me with you Nagi, even if it takes years and you've forgotten me. No matter where you go I will find you, I swear it."

Nagi nodded silent tears running down his face. "I love you." He whispered.

"I Love you, now and always." Jareru whispered back leaning in for one last kiss. "I will always know where you are, or if you're in danger. I will return to you."

"Please don't go." Nagi begged when the other teen stood and walked to the window.

Jareru looked back at him with a half smile. "I'm never really gone; I'm in your heart." He said softly, and then he was gone.

"Money is the _root_ of all evil" refers to it being a root not a route, though the true quote is Route not Root. I.e. the quote refers to money being everything to evil and its source of growth. which is wrong the true quote _is_ 'money is the root of all evil' which I later found out

"Teenagers!" [Translation is hardly possible, we use the same word. Word by word it would be 'Jugendliche!', but it doesn't sound the same way in this context. You can use it, but it louses a bit of the expression. ] – A/N shrugs just go with it.

Verdammt! = Damn [it]!

Ha ha the damn….I mean…dear thing is done! Sorry it took so long but my betas kinda ditched me- well I'm not sure what happened to Syberian X (Sy if you didn't get any of my emails please find some way of telling me!)

Anyway, I'm sure everyone wants to know who the hell is Jareru and how do you pronounce his name? And maybe some of you are going 'is he coming back?' I'll answer the first question…first…Jareru is my way of getting someone that can train Aya without sending him to RosenKruez. Plus, Nagi so needs someone!!!!! Don't you think? I think so. As for pronouncing….heh…. I know Jareru means 'to be playful' in Japanese (and if it doesn't someone needs to call Living Language or Random House and tell them their Japanese dictionaries are wrong.) In my head Jareru is pronounced Jar-eh-roo, I'm sure that's wrong shrugs but I cant help that. His nickname is Jari (Jar-ee) so I guess its ok for a fanfic….

Errmm got off track, yes Jareru is coming back next chappy whether you like it or not.

And if I say anything more my 'puter is going to kill me. Sorry no reviews will be responded to in this chappy ill try and get them next chappy. Plus the second half of this fic is not beta'd and me puter isn't telling my grammar and spelling errors,(except I found this little new addition to FF.Net that spell checks too!!!) hopefully I'll be able to post! Hope you all enjoyed!

P.S Be sure to read and review 'Popsicles' another WK fic from yours truly!

Update yes now there are responses to your reviews and hopefully at puter beta job!:

Crimson Devil

Recommended? Wow, I've never been recommended before…. Sure like to meet that person might let them in on something…. Anyway, thanks for loving my fic, I hope I gave a good impression on your future WK reading.

angel-of-death-1989AD

Thank you, working on updates as I type.

sapphire

I thought the idea was a good one, you know not every bad guy is a bad guy…..Hehe

Cieraco Sheys

He is cute isn't he?

Horuseye

Well I'm getting reviews at Mediaminer.org (shameless plug) I think I'm updated there. Anyway maybe not this coming chappy but the one after that I'll be in great need of your wonderful translations, I'll email you when I have something workable. Hope your tests went well, mine didn't cries over C

Phox1

Oh my dearest authoress (hehehe) Now are you not glad for my forcing of your hand!?   
You wanted me to review but, why? Dude (you know that means 'ass-hair'? lol), what am I suppose to say here that I haven't already told you? Want me to reassure the readers??  
Eva speaks ENGLISH, lol! I should know, we live in the same American Hick town! However she only knows how to write in Pig-Latin, we're working on it.  
The fic does have a specific goal. Don't worry, I have chained her too her computer, problem is she's obsessed with Furry Porn and is easily distracted. Plus, between school and the parole office she just doesn't have the same amount of time on her hands. (Big Mama, Eva says she loves you and misses your warm bed. Tell the other girls on the cell block she said hey)  
Other than all this I have nothing more to say, except, when this fic is done I'm going to force Eva to write a fic with me!

Ha-ha very funny, I mean a review about the fic not whatever that was…Furry Porn?....I don't wanna know don't tell me…..Parole officer!!!!! Chika I think your mistaking me for you….and well talk about that forced fic later…

storie2tell

All will be discovered in the next chappy…..

Wildfire

but as kids you can use so many twists….twists…twists…cackles

Skeren Dreamera (Mickeofasyahoo.com)

you'll see

starkitsune

I'm working on it!!! smiles innocently

Leanie

How can you not wait? You get it before even I do!!!! smiles btw if you read this when I update, I am really sorry for blowing up on you yesterday I was having bad side affects over some meds and my brain was dribbling outta my ears. So sorry again!

HeeroDuo4eva

blinks someone died!!!! Gee I need to read my own stuff……

kat-jen-insane

yay! the chapter did answer my question and I would have never guessed that Yohji is Aya's brother. will-  
Crawford: SHUT UP!  
::sticks tongue out:: Manx's is so mean! I wanna kill Manx! ::is about to go into the fic but Yohji, Aya, ken and omi hold her back:: let me go! ::looks at them:: CUTE! err... will Yohji get to be with Aya and Nagi? and if he does is going to be the oldest brother? please update soon! ::turns to Yohji, Aya, ken and omi:: please let go?  
chibis: no!  
ok... help?

looks at chibis hey you two! Your not in the fic yet!

:Omi and Ken Chibi look cute: sorry….scurries off leaving only Yohji and Aya holding Kat back

me: will talk Kat, email me!

Female Heero Yuy

Ok, but I forgot what I cleared up…..hopefully I'll get to your answers eventually, if not email me after I finish and ill see if I can answer them!

Chapter one

Chris (everydayangel83hotmail.com

yeah, with Mediaminer you gotta make sure the search is on "all rating" or something or the R and NC rated Fics don't show up……aren't I on chapter six? gets confused with review sequences

gonyos

Well id hope I have a happy ending in mind or my whole vision for a sequel has gone out the window.

Cool

Thank you very much, I hope you enjoy what's to come

Chapter five that has already been reviewed:

Misstress of the Flame

dude...this is just fuckin awesome...

thank so F&%in' much! In a good way.

mangababy

Salut! Your right in your assumption, and I think we use prolific…least I think I've used it once or twice. Glad you enjoy the fic

Enchanté, À plus tard. (if that's not right I blame my translator)

sapphire

I don't particularly like OC's either cause they have no history, they just show up. So I'm trying to make Jari someone that is introduced as just another person in the background that somehow got attention. He's getting a history as well as a recurring role, but after this chapter he isn't getting a staring roll.

HeeroDuo4eva

Its coming its coming!

- I know I'm missing a review… ahh here they are:

Kuon

I wasn't really going for vulgarity, and I did get a list of choices, that just happened to be the one I chose, but I'll keep the others in mind for future chappys

I'm still missing one, oh well….Chris I think I got you twice but I hope you got the message….

Hope more people review now or I'll be forced to pout

Next chappy-

After Jareru's parents are killed he is sent back to Tokyo to live with his Uncle. However he soon finds out how dangerous that is. Running away he finds Schwartz and enlists their help hoping to remain with them. However another package arriving at their door might cut those plans before the can even get started.

**Part Two, Chapter Six: Unforgivable Mercy**


	6. Part Two Chapter Six Unforgivable Mercy

**Part Two, Chapter Six: Unforgivable Mercy**

Though it would take several days for the news to be released and another week for the names to go public several people were woken early in the morning with the information. For Rai Tuskiono it would be the phone waking him from a drunken stupor; for Bradley Crawford it would be hours before with a vision he was helpless to stop.

For Jareru Hanuka it was the moment the truck swerved across the road into his parent's car.

The recently turned sixteen year-old became an orphan three months after he was forced to move to Osaka and two months after he became of consenting age. He was an orphan for the week it took his uncle to get around to coming for him. Then he became one again several hours later, after his uncle beat him unconscious then locked him in a room he later escaped from.

Standing at the door of an undistinguishable townhouse holding an arm against aching ribs, he carefully sent out a probe unsure if this was the right house. The small probe hit a shield wall that bounced off without a ripple, enough to tell him this was indeed the right house.

Before he could raise a hand to knock on the solid wood door he heard a joyful 'Jari!' come from the other side and a little boy 'pulled' the heavy wooden door open, a tall man wearing glasses standing behind him. The toddler attached himself to the teen in greeting grinning madly at his old time friend. Jareru smiled weakly down at the child then winced when a particularly nasty bruise on his leg was unknowingly squeezed.

"I think you better come in, Jareru," Crawford said with a sigh opening the door wider for the teen to enter. Jareru pattered Aya's head and gently pushed the toddler ahead of him stiffly walking inside.

"I take it you know?" the teenager asked carefully lowering himself down on the couch then to a lying position when Crawford pushed him down.

"I half expected to receive a phone call, but then remembered you wouldn't have had one." Crawford answered lifting the boy's shirt and ran a head along his ribs. "You should have come here instead of waiting for your uncle."

"I tried, but they wouldn't let me go anywhere." Jareru defended wincing as one particular spot shifted. "I didn't expect him to actually hit me; he didn't feel that malevolent."

"Jari, your uncle is an abusive drunk whose wife left him because he beat _her_." Schuldich said from the hallway caring that first aid kit. "You're lucky he didn't rape you."

Jareru shifting hissing in pain for his effort. "I did get out didn't I?" he said, "And you're going to get proof of what he's done."

"You have a broken rib." Crawford berated. "We have ways of getting all the proof and legal paperwork we need for anything. You didn't have to go though this _just_ to get proof."

Jareru sighed as shallowly as he could. "I'm sorry." He whispered allowing himself to be sat up and his shirt removed. "Dose _he_ know?"

"No," Crawford answered concentrating on wrapping the damaged bone properly. "The names were released today, he will find out. He will think the worst since it says you were involved in the accident but does not report if you survived or not."

"Damn," Jareru hissed, "He's out of range too."

"You are in no condition to track him down even if you were in range." Crawford answered tying off the bandage and handed the teen a glass of water and two different pills.

"What are they?" Jareru asked wise enough to ask before he took them.

Crawford rolled his eyes. "One is for the pain and the other is to put you to sleep so you don't move and puncture a lung."

"I'm being punished, aren't I?" Jareru asked dutifully downing the pills. Crawford shook his head helping the teenager stand and walk to Nagi's bedroom. Aya was in the room happily chattering with his teddy bear while coloring in a coloring book. The child smiled brightly at his old friend then frowned when the returning smile turned into a wince.

"Jari alri'?" the child asked, his tiny face scrunched in concern.

"I'm ok squirt, just met a bad man. But your daddy is going to make sure I don't have to meet the bad man again." Jareru answered in a way the toddler would understand.

Aya looked scared for a moment. "Bad man nah gonna come 'ere, id 'e?"

"No baby, he's not." Crawford assured his son. "It's safe here." He helped the teen into the bed, pulled off his shoes, wrapped him in the blanket, and turned, kneeling in front of the child. "Be a good boy and let Jari sleep, alright?"

"Alri' dayi." Aya answered, picked up his stuff, and toddled out of the room. Two seconds later he ran back into the room climbed on the bed, gave Jareru a kiss, and ran back out.

Jareru smiled sleepily. "He's still the cutest thing I've ever seen."

Crawford snorted. "Just wait until he grows up." He said then muttered, "He was a pain the first time around." But the light in his eyes were loving, not malicious.

"First time around?" the teen asked between careful yawns.

"I'll tell you about it later." The American said after a moment of contemplative silence. "Get some sleep, you need it. Don't worry about your shields, you don't need them here."

The dark haired boy nodded letting his shields drop at his next breath with relief; keeping them up in his state was tiring. "Thank you, for helping me and letting me stay."

Crawford waved him off. "Think nothing of it," he said turning to leave. "Nagi would throw me through a window if I let anything happen to you. Besides, I feel better with you here instead of out there where they can find you." He looked at the teen, "Kritiker already has one family member, and I don't want them to have two."

The teen smiled, "You think of me as family?"

"Well now that you're back Nagi is never going to let you go, so I might as well." Crawford answered dismissively while smiling to himself. "Get some sleep before I let Farfarello show you his knife collection."

Jareru snorted, "I've seen it, and it's not that impressive."

"Sleep!" Crawford ordered in exasperation walking out of the room and shut the door behind him. Knowing the boy wouldn't actually get up just to have the last word he made his way back to the living room to find Schuldich standing at the front door holding Aya on his hip talking to someone.

"How did you find us?" he was asking as Crawford walked to the door to find out what was happening.

"That is not important," a vaguely familiar female voice answered, "Are you going to take him or not?"

Crawford reached the door and peered out over Schuldich's shoulder at the Kritiker agent Berman. In her arms was a toe headed child no older then five.

Schuldich looked at Crawford. 'Its Yohji,' he mouthed with wide eyes then turned back to the woman. Crawford nudged the younger man aside and held out his hands for the other child. "Were you followed?" he asked taking an oddly quiet Yohji from the agent.

"We kidnapped him two days ago." Berman said shaking her head. "Manx had him in a separate place from Ken and Omi-," she looked him in the eyes, "Some of us don't agree with what Manx is doing and what she did. Take care of both of them, they need it." She handed him a folder and a duffle bag, turned on her heel and hurried away.

Crawford quickly closed the door, locked it firmly, and looked down at the child in his arms. "Hello Yohji,"

"Hello Crawford," the child in his answered back. He looked at Aya who was sucking his thumb and staring back at him with wide violet eyes. Yohji pointed, "That's my brother." He informed the man. "Put me down!"

Crawford did as demanded; the little boy kicked him in the shin and ran off down the hall.

Two men and a toddler watched him go. "I think now I know why Aya is so mellow; the older one is precocious enough for both of them." Schuldich commented shifting from one foot to another.

Crawford sighed, "It seems fitting given their personalities." He said and took Aya from his husband. "Do me a favor and pull Nagi out of school before he runs away to Osaka."

"Sure," Schuldich said with a strange affliction to his voice and walked out of the apartment before he could be questioned about it.

Crawford shook his head, kissed Aya on the temple, and walked down the hall to find a little blond child in great need of a nap….or a spanking. He never noticed the large duffle bad hastily shoved into a corner behind a plant by the front door.

888

"Hey Nagi-kun!" a first year boy shouted running up to the older teen, "I just heard; I'm so sorry!"

Nagi stopped his slow walk to his next class to raise an eyebrow. "Heard what?" he asked wondering if he had failed an exam or something.

The boy's eyes widened. "You don't know?" he asked; Nagi glared causing the boy to back away in front, "Uh…noth-ing….never mind!" he stammered, turned, and fled.

Nagi watched the boy's retreating back confused. What was going on? Shaking his head he once again started walked toward class. He got no more then ten steps when a classmate stopped him.

"Hey Nagi, I take it since you're here you haven't heard!" Lau said then dragged Nagi to a semi private corner.

"Heard what!" Nagi demanded in exasperation.

The other teen looked sympathetic. "It happened last week," he said handing Nagi a newspaper. "They released the names yesterday."

Nagi suddenly felt a sense of dread as he took the paper from his classmate and turned it so he could read the caption it was folded to:

'HANUKA FAMILY KILLED!'

He didn't bother reading further. The paper fell from nerveless fingers and his knees started to buckle. Instantly Lau had an arm around his waist, and a hand on his elbow; half carrying half walking him into the nearest bathroom. The next thing he knew he was on his knees in front of a toilet with his hair held away from his face as he dry heaved. At some point he had lost his breakfast and bile; he could taste it in his mouth and smell it in the air.

"Here," Lau said handing Nagi a bottle of water once he had stopped being sick. Nagi took it with shaking hands and rinsed out his mouth then flushed the toilet to get rid of the smell that threatened to make him sick again. Slowly he crawled out of the stall to the wall on the other side of the bathroom and leaned against it. Soon after Lau slid down the wall next to him, "I'm sorry Nagi," he said softly, "I know how much he cared about you."

"He loved me!" the teen cried burying his face in his classmates shoulder. "He said he'd find away for us to be together!"

"Shh," Lau soothed rubbing Nagi's back in comfort, "You'll always have him in your heart Nagi, as long as you remember he'll never truly be gone." The dark haired teen nodded against the other shoulder and continued to cry.

Sometime later the bathroom door opened and the principal walked in followed by an adult with rust red hair. Nagi paid them no mind, softly weeping on Lau's shoulder and showed no signs of stopping. The red haired man stepped forward kneeling in front of them, then reached out a hand to touch Nagi's shoulder gently. Without looking the teen moved from Lau's shoulder to the man's arms and started to cry harder.

The man –who had to be a relative- wrapped his arms around Nagi protectively then cast his gaze on Lau. "Who are you?" he asked calmly though his eyes held suspicion.

"My name is Lau." The teen answered. "I was a friend of Jareru."

The red haired man nodded. "So you told Nagi what happened?" he accused. "For what reason? To get him for yourself?"

"Schu!" Nagi scolding lifting his head to look at the redhead. "You don't think I should have known? I know dad _had_ to know!"

Schu pressed two fingers against the distraught teen's lips. "Shh," he ordered. "Your father had his reasons; namely preventing you from running into the arms of the first boy that batted his eyes at you."

"Hey!" Lau protested, "Jari was my friend! He never stopped talking about Nagi; I felt he needed to know! I wasn't going to steal my friend's boyfriend just because he died! If I was that uncaring I would have done that when he moved to the Osaka!"

Schuldich narrowed his eyes at Lau. Nagi removed the mans hand from his mouth. "He's telling the truth Schuschu, he hasn't been anything but a friend." He looked at the man pleadingly. "Can we go home now?"

Schuldich nodded helping Nagi to his feet. "You're already been signed out so we can just go to the car."

"I'd better get to class," Lau said getting to his feet. "I'll call you after school to make sure you're alright Nagi."

Nagi nodded and caught Lau's arm as he passed. "Thank you," he whispered letting his hand drop. Lau nodded with a slight smile and vanished out the door. Nagi waited a few seconded then hit Schuldich on the chest with the back of his hand. "That was mean Schuldich! Lau is straight!"

The telepath snorted, "Straight or not he likes you. He's been jealous Jareru got you before he did, he just couldn't hold it against his friend because Jari didn't know."

Nagi blinked, "Oh," he murmured leaning against the adult. "I wanna go home."

Schuldich nodded leading him out of the bathroom toward the parking lot.

888

The drive home was silent; Schuldich concentrated on driving and Nagi cried silently in his seat. Once home the teen trudged up the two flights of steps to the apartment and opened the door, and immediately knew something was different.

The first thing he noticed was a blond child tiptoeing up behind Aya and pinched the smaller child making him cry. Coming in behind him Schuldich picked up the baby redhead to comfort him and glared at the other boy whom stuck out his tongue in return. The second thing he noticed was Crawford waiting for him from the kitchen doorway. Nagi walked toward him squashing the urge to pound of his father's chest and demand to know why; it wouldn't get him anywhere but a long grounding. Instead he meekly walked forward and allowed Crawford to envelope him into his arms.

He didn't realized he was shaking until he was held still, then he couldn't stop for the life of him. Dishes in the kitchen started to rattle of there own accord and a few pieces of paper flew into the air and slowly drifted to the ground. Crawford tightening his hold on the teen rubbing his back soothingly; slowly the rattling stopped and paper still in the air drifted to the floor.

"Better?" Crawford asked when Nagi had stopped shaking and merely stood there; the boy very slowly nodded. "Good, now I want you to go to your room, and be _very careful_."

Nagi nodded slowly, unsure of what he meant by that, but did as told. Walking down the hall to his bedroom under the scrutiny of three adults and two children was a bit unnerving making him glad when he was safely shut away in his room. Yet seconds later he was faced with the feeling he was not alone. Holding his breath he turned around slowly, then slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming. With a shuttered breath Nagi stumbled to the bed and lightly touched the occupants hair afraid it was all a hallucination.

"Jari?" Nagi whispered tears spilling from his eyes all over again. Slowly he sank down on the bed leaning down so their foreheads touched a few tears sliding down his face and onto Jareru's.

Unnoticed the sleeping boy slowly blinked open his eyes looking up at the crying brunette. He blinked himself awake and lifted his hand to wipe away a tear from Nagi's face; the boy jumped and lifted his head to look into steady dark eyes.

"You're alive!" Nagi whispered cupping Jareru's face between his hands gently, almost afraid this was all a dream and he was still in the school bathroom passed out on the tile floor.

"Yeah," Jareru said shifting so he could pull Nagi down beside him. "Would have been here sooner, but, you know how traffic is."

A harsh sob escaped Nagi's mouth and he collapsed beside the other crying in earnest once more. Not out of sorrow but out of a mixture of fear, joy, and hope.

"Shh," Jareru said rubbing his free hand over Nagi's cheek, "It's alright my love; I'm not going anywhere."

"You better not!" Nagi said his voice thick from crying.

Jareru smiled, "I'm here to stay, your dad said so."

The teen snorted, "My dad says a lot of things." He said softly. "Mostly about how annoyingly cute Aya is."

Jareru started to laugh and immediately regretted it, "Ow, don't make me laugh right now love, I might puncher a lung."

The older teen took on a look of horror and began methodically checking his boyfriend over for injuries not unlike the pre-cog had earlier. It was touching if a little annoying how someone else's family was so concerned while his own was not. Not that he could blame then now, being dead and all….

"I'm ok love, promise. Nothing a little rest and a lot of meds won't cure." Jareru said rubbing a finger against Nagi's cheek gently, "But I'm feeling better now that you're here."

Nagi rolled his eyes playfully. "Baka!" he said kissing Jareru on the nose, and then stretched out next to him. "So what happened?" he asked with genuine interest using his finger to trace the lines of the other teen's rib, subtly fusing the cracks together as he went.

Jareru sighed deeply feeling the pressure on his chest lifting with every breath. "We were in the car going home from a party one of the slightly richer families was hosting. Dad was only slightly drunk, but mom insisted on driving anyway. Ironies of ironies we were broadsided by another car who's driver happened to be drunk." He paused willing the tears for his dead parents away for just a while longer. "The doctor said they died instantly, that they probably didn't feel anything. I was asleep in the back seat, I was lying down; it's what saved my life."

"It's ok to cry Jari." Nagi said very softly his fingers never stopping there gentle movements. "When someone you love dies it's alright to cry for them."

"Did you cry, when you thought I died?" Jareru whispered staring at the ceiling as if it held all the answers of the universe.

"After I threw-up," Nagi admitted. "I thought my whole world had ended."

"And now?" the older teen asked so soft Nagi almost didn't hear.

"And now?" the younger brunette repeated. "I don't know it's still a shock having you gone then…not. I'm happy you're not dead, but that not what you're asking is it?"

"No its not." Jareru said louder. "I just…."

"You're confused about how my family cares more about you then your family did." Nagi said taking a guess at the underline problem.

"Yes," the younger boy said emotionless. "Your father and uncle kill people for a living, my father never cared about what I wanted, and my uncle….my _uncle_ nearly beat me to death seven days after his sister and brother in law were _killed_. Schu say's I'm lucky he didn't rape me…. I don't get it Nagi, how can your family kill with out mercy and then turn around and care about children, and mine….can't."

Nagi couldn't give an answer, he didn't know how other people work; he didn't know how normal families acted since his was anything but. He did, however, know something he needed to tell Jareru. He sighed. "My family isn't normal, in fact until a year ago we weren't a family at all…." He sat up, not touching the other. "I have to tell you something, about this family. It all started with a little redhead that wasn't so little...."

888

"No, I would like to change my flight," Schuldich said into the receiver cradling the baby redhead against his chest while making sure the baby blond stayed in the phone booth. "Yes, one adult and two children…three and five...yes that will be fine, thank you." He dropped the phone back on the hook and took the pay-card out of the slot. Carefully he shifted Aya so he could carry the large duffle bag and hold Yohji's hand at the same time.

"You better not make me regret brining you kleiner Mann 1." The German said glaring down at the boy.

"He's my brother, your not separating us again." Yohji said looking as is he might kick the adult.

Half an hour later before Crawford had gone out to get dinner for all of them; Farfarello had been sleeping in his room, Aya was taking a nap, and Schuldich had taken the opportunity to set his plans in motion before Crawford could get a vision and stop him. He had Aya in his arms and halfway out the door before he felt a small tug on his jacket. He hadn't even let the little boy argue about being left, he simply grabbed the child's hand and took him with him.

Changing the tickets had been easy and a little mental whisper had him through costumes easily even without proof of who Yohji was and who he belonged too. He had timed it so the plane would depart shortly after their arrival, both to insure Crawford couldn't catch him and to insure be wouldn't change his mind at the last moment.

In fact by the time Aya woke up completely bewildered and screaming for 'dayi' they were already well in the air.

888

The first thing he noticed when he entered the house, laden with his burden of take out, was the silence. Never in all the time, they had baby Aya with them had the child not come to greet him when he came home. The little boy had been known to wake up from a sound sleep and come running just as the door was opened. Now with the addition of another child in the house- abet only for five hours- he expected the redhead toddler to come running.

Crawford frowned setting the food on the kitchen counter and went to Aya's room.

The bed was empty the favorite stuffed animal always present was missing along with loved toys and favorite blanket. The duffle bag of Yohji's things that had yet to be unpacked was also gone.

Maintaining calm Crawford checked on Nagi and Jareru. Both teen's looked up as the door opened their conversation halted and replaced by confusion. Without a word, Crawford went on to the next room- Farfarello's. The Irishmen was out like a light fresh gauze over his newly changed eye, antibiotics keeping him asleep while he healed.

Calm flying out the window Crawford all but ran into the last room.

At first, nothing seemed wrong, the bed was made, cloths picked up from the floor that had been thrown about in a heated fit of lovemaking the night before. Then what was missing set in. Everything they owned except Aya and Nagi's things could fit into one duffle bag, just in case they ever had to leave in a hurry. Everything Schuldich had was missing right down to his favorite hair band. All that was left was a folded piece of paper on Schuldich's pillow. Crawford didn't need to pick it up to know what it said; Schuldich had taken Aya and Yohji and left. They wouldn't be back, nor would there be any contact for their safety.

Something had happened to make the German run. It would not have been for a family reason, though it would have been personal and involving Aya or else Schuldich would have gone by himself. He had more then likely gone back to Germany were he would go unnoticed and the danger couldn't find him.

He picked up the note….

"Dad?" Nagi said from the doorway. Crawford turned to look at the teenager stuffing the note in his pocket. "Where is everybody?"

"Out," Crawford answered herding the boy out of the room and back toward his own. "Why don't you rest for a while? You look like you need it."

Nagi blinked faintly, Crawford never asked him to rest on a school day no matter what the circumstances. "Jeri needs to take a walk to make sure I set his ribs right."

"Fine," Crawford said dismissively, "Take a walk around the neighborhood, just be back before dark."

Again Nagi blinked, that didn't sound like Crawford either, he didn't even consider the fact that if Schuldich was out and Jei was still recovering their would be no one to go with them. "Alright," he said with a feeling asking what was wrong would be a bad idea.

Brad wouldn't know the severity of his mistake until it was too late.

888

"Is he ok?" Jareru asked slowly walking beside his boyfriend down the street. "He felt a little distressed."

"I donno," Nagi said looking around nervously. "I've never seen him act that way."

"Are you ok?" the older teen asked stopping and turned to his boyfriend in concern. "You feel as distracted as he feels distressed."

"I'm just worried," Nagi said softly, "Schuldich left with Aya and Yohji, and I think since Brad is acting so strange that they aren't just at the park."

"Like you mean Schuldich ran away and took the chibi's with him?" Jareru asked lightly running his hand along Nagi's arm. "Why would he do that? I thought everything was settled with that guy."

"It wasn't as far as I know." Nagi clarified, "Farfarello said that just because Strike hasn't been heard from doesn't mean he isn't done yet. He isn't the type to just give up at a set back."

"I think getting kicked in the balls by a half conscious teenager is more then a set back," Jareru countered lightly squeezing the blue eyed brunette's hand. He looked around as the deserted street, "want to go that way?" he asked pointing toward a street that would lead them to an ice cream parlor.

"Sure," Nagi said with a soft smile.

They walked slowly to accommodate the older teens other injuries that would take longer to heal then psychically fused bones. They joked like they had not just spent months apart to dispel the heaviness of the mood, what could one really joke about during such a troubling time?

"Hey Nagi!" a voice called out from behind them. Both teens turned to find Lau running up. The teen stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing Jareru a look on shock on his face; then he smiled. "Jareru! I'm so glad you're alive!" he exclaimed stopping just shy of hugging the teen.

"Hey Lau," Jeri said looking between the teen and his boyfriend in discomfort. "The notice of my demise has been greatly exaggerated."

"I can see that." Lau said focusing his winning smile on Nagi. "It's good your back."

Jareru raised an eyebrow when Nagi looked away from Lau's gaze with a slight blush. "Is there something I should know between you two?" he asked growing suspicious.

"No!" Lau and Nagi said though the telekinetic still wouldn't meet his boyfriends gaze.

"Nagi's probably embarrassed cause he freaked out this morning and I was the only one there to witness it." Lau continued with an easy smile. "It was in the paper this morning, I thought he should know."

Jareru nodded, "So you're the one that told Nagi." He said narrowing his eyes. "I see, so you thought you'd tell him and he'd come running to you?"

"It's not like that Jareru!" Lau protested. "I thought that he should hear it from a friend and not read it in the paper!"

"Schuldich told me you wanted to ask me out before I met Jari." Nagi said softly still refusing to look at either boy.

"Who's that?" Lau asked, "The gaijin that picked you up from school?"

"He's my uncle," Nagi said, "You wouldn't understand."

"Why wouldn't I understand Nagi?" Lau bit out, "I might be American, but I was born in Japan, like my parents wanted. Their obsessed with the Japanese. You wouldn't be the only one born from mix blood."

"That's not what I meant Lau," Nagi said, "I don't care where you were born or what nationality you are. The people with custody of me aren't even Japanese at all!"

"Whatever," Lau said dismissively, "you're always the victim Nagi; the helpless child that everything happens to. You're not the center of the universe you know! Sure I like you, who wouldn't, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do everything to get you. I thought Jareru was dead just like everyone else and I thought it would be better coming from a friend then from the principle. I guess I was wrong 'cause it wasn't about him dieing it was all about you! He's alive and it's still about you! God you're a selfish little brat aren't you?"

Nagi slapped the boy hard. "How dare you!" he yelled. "Do you even care that Jari is hurt? He was in an accident that could have killed him and I'm the victim? The only thing I'm a victim of is my father not telling me when he knew in advanced. Who's selfish now Lau? Me for caring about my boyfriend? Or you for thinking about how much you've been wronged?"

Lau glared, "By the way Jareru, your uncle called my house asking if I've seen you. I told him to check your boyfriend's house." He said casually.

Jareru's eyes widened. "You did what?" he said looking around as if the man would pull up and grab him. "You idiot! My uncle tried to kill me! I ran away to get away from him!"

Lau paused. "But your uncle was always nice." He protested his confusion plan on his face.

"Well now you know that you can't always believe what you see." Jari said taking Nagi's hand. "Come on Nagi, we should head back before my uncle figures out where you live."

Nagi nodded, "Go home Lau, you've done enough." He said leading the older brunette away.

Behind them Lau narrowed his eyes and pulled out his cell phone dialing a number. "They're headed your way. Are you sure he's being manipulated?"

"Trust me," Rai said watching the two teens walk down the street from his car. "You're doing the right thing." Then hung up, "No one gets away from me."

888

"I can't believe Lau feels that way," Nagi said softly looking over his shoulder nervously.

"He's always felt a little off," Jareru said tightening his hold on the blue eyed brunette's hand. "Even with the feelings surrounding you from what you've done in your life you weren't half as unfocused as he is."

"So he's unstable?" Nagi asked. "Why were you friends with him if you knew that?"

"Because I thought I could help him." The older teen answered. "He's not bad, he's just a little lost, he could become either. You have to think, his parents expect something from him that he isn't. They want him to be Japanese, but he isn't; they want him to be the next great leader and all he wants is to be left alone. It's a lot of pressure, and I was trying to get him trough high school without snapping. I don't think I succeeded."

"You can't blame yourself Jari; he's the one that has to make his own choices. Whatever he decides is his choice." Nagi said resting his head on his boyfriends shoulder.

"You're right Nagi," Jareru said wrapping an arm around the younger boy's waist.

The sound of screeching tires alerted them seconds before a white van pulled up beside them. The side door opened allowing two men out of the car. One hit Nagi sending him crashing into a wall completely dazed, the other grabbed Jareru by the arm and dragged him screaming into the van. Before Nagi could clear his head the van had sped away.

"Jareru!" the teen screamed trying to get enough balance to stand. If he could get a clear view of the car he could use his power to stop it. Falling to the ground he reached around his neck for the panic button and pressed it watching the van speed around a corner. With one last look he closed his eyes and slumped down.

Lau watched the whole thing from further down the street his mouth gaping in horror. "What have I done?"

888

Crawford jumped when an alarm on his watch went off, a moment later Farfarello appeared half dressed holding a cell phone in his hand.

"Nagi's panic button," the Irishmen said in English his accent thicker then usual.

"I know," Crawford said taking his gun out of the locked cabinet. "I let them take a walk around the block."

"Who?" Farfarello asked taking his telescope sword out of the cabinet as well.

"Jareru returned this morning; he used his empathy to find us." Crawford said, "I can't get a vision, their too young still."

"That's what the GPS is for." The mad man said tossing the phone to the American. "I had it installed after the last time. I can find Nagi any time even when he doesn't activate the thing."

"Good lets go." Crawford said headed out the door.

They easily found where Nagi was on foot as he was just around the corner. They found the teen passed out on the sidewalk another teen holding his head in his lap.

"Who the hell are you?" Crawford asked stopping a foot away from them.

The teen jumped looking at the man tears tracking down his face. "I'm sorry," the teen cried, "He said he was just looking for his nephew, I didn't know, he was so nice, I didn't know."

"Alright," Crawford said kneeling in front of the teen; he figured Jareru's uncle had gotten one of the school friends to tell him where the boy might be, and without knowing how evil the man was the teen had been easily fooled. "Just tell me where did he take him?"

"I don't know," the teen said, "He picked me up from school, he said Jareru was still alive but his boyfriend manipulated him because of his inheritance. I believe him 'cause I was mad at Nagi, it's all my fault!"

Crawford sighed, he couldn't blame the kid no matter how much he wanted to, "Farfarello, take Nagi back to the house, I'm going to see what I can find here."

The Irishmen nodded, "What about using Aya? He knows what Jari feels like."

"They're gone;" Crawford said emotionlessly, "Schuldich left and took Aya with him. They won't be back."

Farfarello opened his mouth to question but shut it with a snap and picked up Nagi headed for the apartment.

The American stared at the sidewalk for a moment then turned to the teen. "You're going to tell me everything you know about Jari's uncle."

888

Jareru screamed when he was dumped on the floor of the warehouse at his uncle's feet. The men that had grabbed him hadn't been to kind to his healing ribs and he felt one crack when they beat him into submission. His hands were tied behind his back so he couldn't run away easily, but he wasn't expecting to walk out of here let alone survive this encounter. Not when the goons were involved.

At least he got to see Nagi one last time.

"It's too bad you had to be so weak, like my sister." Rai said nudging the teen with the toe of his boot. "If you had been strong you might have been allowed to carry on the family name. But you're a bitch; you're worth nothing but to be fucked like a woman."

Jareru drew in a steady breath trying not to shift too much for fear the rib would puncture his lung. Now that his shield was gone he could feel the sliminess of the man that he had been too blind by family loyalty to notice before. He felt a wave of nausea at the emotions coarsening though the room; all of the men here were killers and rapist; but not killers like Nagi's family. Where they killed out of necessity these men killed for the joy of killing. They wanted nothing more then to use his body then kill him when they were done.

His uncle most of all.

"You will live Jareru," Rai said kneeling down to cup the side of the brunette teen's face. "You will live a very long time. You will be my toy, and theirs. You will learn to pleasure us because you are too weak to do anything else. And if you learn quickly and well when it is time to kill you it will be quick and painless."

"Fuck you," Jareru gasped, he didn't want a long life at the hands of these men even if it meant someday he might be saved; he would rather keep his dignity and die slowly today.

"Oh don't worry boy, well get to that, no need to be so eager." Rai said with a laugh which allowed the rest of the room to laugh as well.

"They'll kill you," Jareru coughed. "They'll hunt you down and kill you slow, if I live or die, you've already signed your death weren't."

"Oh really little boy?" Rai asked, "Who am I to fear of your little friends? I already got that Gaijin to think he was doing the right thing by helping me. I'll recruit him soon, I'll teach him all thing things your too weak to learn from me."

"You don't know who my boyfriend is do you uncle?" Jareru asked. "He was one of Takatori's personal body guards. The man only died after he fired them. His father is Crawford, you remember him don't you? And Farfarello the Irish mad man. They are very protective of those they claim, and I'm apart of their family."

"You're lying," Rai said, but there was a hint of fear in his voice. "What would Schwartz want with you?"

"I baby sit his two year old son," Jareru said. "I'm in love with his older son. If you know what's good for you, you'll let me go and leave the country and maybe they'll forget about you."

Rai stood turning to the two men that had brought the teen in. "Dump him some where; make sure someone finds the body."

"Why don't you just hand him over and we'll call it even." A voice said from the door way. All the man turned to find their worse nightmare, the bane of the underground- Bradley Crawford.

And standing next to him was the one all of the underground feared the most- Farfarello.

Rai knew he couldn't lose face in front of his men even if he knew going against the two would be the end of him. Better end it and take the brat with him then let the boy go just like that. Motioning to his men he watched with satisfaction as they did his bidding without hesitation.

Then he watched as his men were slaughtered by the Irishmen without winding the man.

"Now Mr. Tuskiono you have two choices, you can give me the boy and keep your life, or I will take him by force and you can die by my hand. Of course your men hurt my son, so I might just kill you anyway."

"I have connections; you won't get away with this." Rai said backing up and drew his gun pointing it at Jareru.

"I don't care about your connections," Crawford said, "They are my connections too. You don't think I wouldn't have checked up on who the boy was and who he was connected with did you? I know your sister left the family because of it, and I know her son was due to inherit his grandfathers business, which would have left you out in the cold. I made a call to his executor on the way over here, if you die, no one will shed a tear."

"I'll kill him before you can kill me," Rai said already squeezing the trigger.

Jareru screamed kicking out with his legs and rolled away from the man despite the protests of his ribs. In the time it took to roll out of the way Farfarello had already cut the man down and was lifting the teen into his arms. Jareru clenched his teeth against the pain as his hands were untied and he was handed off to Crawford. Tears streamed down his face from the unbearable pain and the fear of nearly being killed and worse.

"I'll take care of this," Farfarello said two sea green eyes resting on the teen for a moment. "Take him home, I'll return shortly."

Crawford nodded, "Esset won't like this," he commented.

"Fuck them, they want us to be a normal family, then they'll just have to deal." Farfarello hissed and turned his back on them to clean up the mess.

"I'm sorry," Jareru said holding his arms around his chest.

"What for?" Crawford asked kindly walking through the warehouse back to the car.

"For making you come for me," Jareru said closing his eyes.

"You will never make me sorry for anything you do," the man said with a conviction the teen couldn't deny. "I don't have to be a Seer to know that."

888

When they returned to the apartment Lau was silently watching Nagi sleep holding an ice pack against the delicate face. He gasped when he saw Jareru and broke down in tears again. Halfway to the bedroom Jareru reached out and grasped the teen's shirt making his focus on him.

"Tell your parents you want to be a normal American kid going to an American school." Jareru rasped softly, "Tell them if they make you be what you aren't for much longer the stress will kill you." then he released his grip his eyes falling shut.

"Is he going to be ok?" Lau asked too upset to stick to Japanese.

"He was lucky," Crawford said to the teen, "had no one cared, he would be dead."

Lau nodded whipping his face. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are." The man answered, "You believed only what you wanted to. You were manipulated; not very many people can see though those."

"I have to go home," the teen said. "I have to go…"

"Wait there, I'll drive you home, you're in no condition to walk." Crawford said and went to Nagi's room laying the teen on the bed like he had earlier that day.

"It's not Lau's fault," Jareru said softly barely conscious, "I never told him who my uncle was."

"I know," Crawford said, "Get some rest when Nagi wakes he can fuse your ribs back together."

"Crawford." The teen called as the man was shutting the door. "Schuldich, he left didn't he?"

"Yes," Crawford said.

"He did it to protect you, you know. He loves you, but your life is more important." Jareru said softly coughing a little.

"I know Jari," Brad said but relieved to hear it from someone else. "When its time to find him, we will. Get some rest."

Closing the door Crawford stuck his hand in his pocket for the note he had placed there earlier. Leaning against the wall he unfolded it and read the flowing script of English.

'My love,

I will return someday, when Aya is safer and we can be a family. Please understand that I don't want to leave but I have to. Strike isn't the only treat to our little baby kitten, but he is the worst. If I leave now then he or Manx won't find Aya until he can defend himself. I'm watching you sleep as I write this and know you will be fine until we are together again; you were always strong like that. I'll be strong too knowing we will see each other again. Don't try to find me Brad, not yet at least, you'll know when its time.

I will never stop loving you. Take care of Nagi and Jari and don't let Farfarello have too much fun.

Schuldich'

888

Bavaria, Germany

Schuldich sat on the window seat staring out the window of the little apartment absently. In him arms the baby redhead slept peacefully, on the bed the blond pretended to sleep.

The sun would rise soon but the telepath wasn't tired. He was happy to be back home after so many years way, but he couldn't enjoy it not with knowing what he had left behind in Japan.

Though Aya would be safe and Yohji wouldn't have to worry about Kritiker hurting him anymore, Schuldich knew it would take a while for the children to get used to the new place. They would learn German like any other child and in a few months no one would notice they weren't normal German children. They would of course move by then away from here where they would stay safe. They would go to school; they would be normal children, normal like he never was.

Hugging the baby close Schuldich wrapped his blanket a little tighter around them. He just hoped he didn't get caught before then.

8888

8888

Next Chapter-

Two years have past and now is the time for Crawford to find Schuldich in Germany. Though Aya and Yohji have changed they are still innocent children and happy. But all that might change with the bomb Crawford is about to drop.

**Part Three, Chapter Seven: A Rose by Any Other Name**

1 kleiner Mann little man

A/N thanks everyone for your reviews and waiting for this next chapter, it took longer then I thought since I was working on Media Minors contest. Anyway don't expect the next chapter soo, but I promise this fic will be finished eventually.

_coming soon _

**Angels in Heaven:**

When Weiss is killed at the end of the second season (along with Aya-chan) and Ran turns out to be the only survivor; Jei- formally Farfarello- takes it upon himself to take care of the assassin. Then upon, learning the boy is only sixteen he discovers the turn plan God has for him. Then Ken shows up to tell him Esset wasn't the only threat to Ran and his sister Aya. But which is harder, protecting Ran from the enemy or raising a teenager on his own?

**Plus four new WK crossovers**


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